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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 10 Hansard (5 December) . . Page.. 2664 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

pivotal in all of this is the man who made the decision about the location of the DELP building and the placement of ads for expressions of interest in that process, the former Minister for Urban Services, Mr Lamont. I am very happy to eat humble pie on that issue if Mr Berry and his colleagues - - -

Ms McRae: Come on; that will be the day.

MR HUMPHRIES: Watch me; just watch me.

Mr Berry: You would not recognise humble pie, Gary.

Ms McRae: You would not know it if it was in front of you.

MR HUMPHRIES: You just watch me. But you have to produce the goods first. The goods are: You show me where Mr Lamont denies having issued that instruction. Those opposite are muttering into their Christmas cards because they know that they cannot produce that evidence. They know full well that Mr Lamont, as Minister responsible for the development of that building, did authorise the move of DELP to a location other than Gungahlin and did acknowledge that Gungahlin expressly had to be ruled out. I hope that, when they are honest enough to acknowledge that, they will stop this carping, "We really wanted to go to Gungahlin; it is just that this nasty succeeding Government stopped us from doing that". You have to prove me wrong.

Mr Berry: You were the one that made the accusations about the Chief Minister. She demonstrated that the notes were there, and you had to back down.

MR HUMPHRIES: You produce Mr Lamont's affidavit.

Mr Berry: You backed down, did you not?

MR HUMPHRIES: I did misrepresent the situation as far as that document was concerned. I acknowledged that in the Assembly, and I apologised to Ms Follett for it. I now throw down to you the challenge to admit that you know full well that Mr Lamont authorised that movement to go ahead; and to come into this place and acknowledge your mistake. You come back and acknowledge it. Obviously, those opposite are not interested in being forthright about that. I will not press the point. This report is an important development in providing for an exceptionally high quality town centre for the people of the ACT. We have a great deal to be happy about with this proposal. I thank members for their support of the proposal and look forward to the work on this very important town centre project commencing in the very near future.

MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, I seek leave to make a statement.

Leave granted.

MR WOOD: The Opposition can make its decisions on this matter as quickly as the Government can. No sooner had the Government responded than we also indicated, as Mr Berry already has done in speaking to the committee's report, that the Opposition will be supporting this proposal. I want to pay a compliment to all those people who have

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