Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2384 ..

MS McRAE (continuing):

shopping hours really have nothing to do with it, then change it". What sort of policy-making is that? We are being made fools of. You Greens are complicitous in that. I urge you to seriously reconsider. Adjourn this debate and take on the whole package thoroughly. Stand up and look through the whole thing properly and be done with it.

Mr Kaine: You have not convinced me.

MS McRAE: I did not need to convince you. You have already voted for it.

MR WHITECROSS (Leader of the Opposition): I seek leave to make a statement in relation to the same matter.

Leave granted.

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, I rise to speak because I heard what Mrs Carnell had to say and indeed what Mr Stefaniak had to say. I think that Ms Tucker and Ms Horodny should be somewhat concerned about the tone that has been adopted by the Government in relation to this matter. The clear message from the Government, which supported the proposed inquiry, is that, notwithstanding that you are going to inquire into all these things, the Government reserves the right to plough ahead with all of them regardless.

What is the Government's position on Striking a Balance? We know that they want to bring on the legislation and pass the legislation. Presumably, they want to go on with helpShop regardless of whatever opinions the committee might have. Mr Humphries has indicated that he intends to go ahead with some new proposals in relation to retail space, and the approval of the town centre extensions has been before him. Mr Humphries has a report from the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment in relation to betterment which I notice the Liberals and the Greens have now sent back to the committee. The committee has just come down with a recommendation that Mr Humphries should look at the issue of betterment, and the Liberals and the Greens have sent it back to the committee. I do not quite understand the logic of that. Presumably, Mr Humphries is now going to go ahead and come to some decisions about remission of betterment, the subject of the committee's recommendation, while the committee has a second think about it. Mr Humphries is presumably going to go ahead and make a policy on that.

Mr Moore: This is specific to shops.

MR WHITECROSS: It is indeed specific to shops, Mr Moore. Nevertheless, the point remains that the Planning and Environment Committee considered that there was further work to be done by the Government, and now apparently some members of this house feel that the Planning Committee should do it. It is going backwards and forwards across the net like a ping-pong ball. Mr Speaker, it seems to me that the Greens should be concerned that this Government is not taking this inquiry terribly seriously. On all the important issues that are in front of them - whether it is betterment, retail space, help to suburban shops or retail trading hours - they are determined to go ahead regardless.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .