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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1910 ..

Mr Moore: La Grange at Manuka?

MR HUMPHRIES: La Grange at Manuka, yes. A 12-hour suspension of their licence was imposed for this coming Thursday night, and that was upheld by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. I must say, Mr Speaker, that in one sense it is pleasing to see that this has happened, without commenting on the particular facts of this case. It is very important that we impart a message to licensed premises in this Territory that the Liquor Act is not like a drivers licence, in respect of which you can collect a number of demerit points before you get a cancellation. This Liquor Act is meant to be enforced all the time. Licensed premises will be expected to comply with bans on serving intoxicated people and bans on serving those under the age of 18, and to respect their limits on occupancy levels and all those sorts of things. The decision by the AAT, I think, sends a strong signal that we will be enforcing those provisions of the Liquor Act, and so will the Liquor Licensing Board and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

MS McRAE: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister and it refers to the weekend strategy meeting, which, of course, involved the most senior and most well-paid public servants in the ACT, the foremost senior decision-makers in the Territory, who, Mrs Carnell tells us, were sitting around putting up wild ideas on butchers paper. Could Mrs Carnell please explain why the minutes of that strategy meeting included, as one of the big issues to be faced in the remaining two years of this Government, "the bombing of the Acton Peninsula site", on the grounds that the buildings act as "a living reminder of the closure of the Royal Canberra Hospital and the sentimental baggage which that carries"? Is not the truth that it is the only thing that is a living reminder of the incompetence of the Liberals over many years in their management of the health portfolio, and, in particular, the Royal Canberra Hospital, whose death warrant was signed by Mr Humphries?

MRS CARNELL: Ms McRae obviously was not here then. She forgot that it was Mr Berry who closed the hospital. It was not signed by Mr Humphries at all. It was Mr Berry who did that. In fact, no, it was - - -

Mr Berry: Humphries signed the death warrant.

Ms McRae: You wish, Mrs Carnell. Put that up on the butchers paper.

MR SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister is answering the question.

MRS CARNELL: It is important to make sure that the things that are said in this place are factual, Mr Speaker. The reality is that the person who actually closed down Canberra Hospital was Mr Berry. With regard to the comments about Acton Peninsula that were on the butchers paper or the electronic whiteboard or whatever it was, that meant that one of the quite large number of people who were at that meeting said that, so it was written up on the board. That is exactly what happened.

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