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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (16 April) . . Page.. 928 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

The Government, quite understandably in those circumstances, suspends policy decisions on subjects that are properly the subject of that inquiry. Obviously, we have to proceed with dealing with individual landholders who happen to have a problem on their land, where they are living on a contaminated site. But other policy things that flow from those issues that are properly within the purview of an Assembly inquiry are matters that the Government does not proceed on pending the inquiry's completion and its recommendations to the Assembly and action flowing from that. I read this in this press release, Mr Speaker:

The nearly 3 year delay in getting the Register operational is unacceptable. There is growing evidence for the existence of a significant number of contaminated sites in the ACT ... The crisis caused by the finding of an old sheep dip site under houses in Watson may be only the tip of the iceberg.

Mr Speaker, it is very easy to trade on people's fears over their living near contaminated sites; but this Government has not moved to establish a contaminated sites register because the issues surrounding such a register are sensitive, and we intend to honour the process outlined and honoured in this Assembly in the past and allow the Assembly's Planning and Environment Committee to report before we move down that path. That, Mr Speaker, is the action of a responsible government. It is a pity that some of the members of this Assembly cannot show the same responsible action.

MS HORODNY: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Yes, it is a sensitive issue, and it is one on which the Government should be taking much stronger action, I might say.

Members interjected.

MS HORODNY: I do have a question, Mr Speaker, if I am allowed to ask it. The point is that this provision has been in the Territory Plan since 1993. It is quite - - -

Mr Kaine: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I do not believe that the member is entitled to make a statement on the matter. She may be entitled to ask a supplementary question.

MR SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. Ask your supplementary question, Ms Horodny.

MS HORODNY: It is a supplementary question. The issue of contaminated sites is right here in the Territory Plan. It is hardly an issue that has just come on board because there is an inquiry under way. It is here in the Territory Plan, and it is something that you should have addressed, Mr Humphries. The question - - -

MR SPEAKER: Ask your supplementary question.

MS HORODNY: The question is: How can you be sure that development proposals lodged with the Planning Authority since the time that this was put into action have been validly assessed, when there has been no formal checking of whether or not sites on which developments have been proposed are contaminated?

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