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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4731 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, it really is quite dishonest, frankly, to say that the Government was placed under pressure to produce that concession late in the stage. It was the case before the first document hit the media. I told Ms Horodny in a public meeting the other day that that was the case. She obviously chooses to believe those who have no knowledge of the circumstances of that decision over my assurance.

Ms Horodny: There was no public process.

MR HUMPHRIES: The fact that it is not referred to in the document that was printed and published does not mean that it is the case that that document was not going to be placed on the public record, Ms Horodny.

Ms Horodny: What has been the process to date that allows the public to be involved?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, I have explained exhaustively to Ms Horodny already what the process to date has been. She knows what the process has been. She was at the public meeting the other night. She was here the other day when the Assembly had some debate about this matter. She has heard me say this before. She does not need to have the time of the Assembly wasted with yet another explanation for her benefit.

We have had another claim which has been transmogrified slightly in recent days - the claim that the supermarket would be the largest supermarket in Canberra. Since that claim was made by Mr Powell, we have - - -

Ms Horodny: No; I said "one of the largest".

MR HUMPHRIES: No. Hang on. The claim originally was that it was going to be the largest supermarket in Canberra. It was, Ms Horodny. That was the claim. We have since drawn the attention of the Assembly to three supermarkets, at least, in the Territory which are larger - including one in Tuggeranong, by approximately 50 per cent, even if the maximum supermarket size at Manuka is taken up. Ms Horodny, when she spoke today, decided to modify those previously erroneous claims of people like Mr Powell and referred to it as one of the largest supermarkets in Canberra. The fact is that that has been one of the most severely misrepresented elements of this whole proposal up until now.

Ms Horodny: It does not matter, Gary. Get to the point. The point is that we do not need any more supermarkets.

MR HUMPHRIES: The point is that most of what has been said on this subject by people - - -

Mrs Carnell: There goes Gungahlin.

Ms Horodny: Except for Gungahlin.

MR HUMPHRIES: We do not need any more supermarkets? Where do you live, Ms Horodny?

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