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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 588 ..

MS HORODNY (continuing):

I look forward to the Government's amended strategic plan which, hopefully, will provide comprehensive detail on exactly what the Government will deliver to the ACT community and in what timeframe.

Debate (on motion by Mrs Carnell) adjourned.

MS TUCKER (4.42): I seek leave to move a motion relating to the Acton-Kingston land swap.

Leave granted.

MS TUCKER: I move the motion circulated in my name, which reads:

That this Assembly calls on the Government to place a moratorium on the demolition of any buildings on the Acton Peninsula until the full details of the proposed formal contract between the Commonwealth and ACT Governments on the Kingston/Acton land swap are approved by the Assembly, and until the Commonwealth Government makes a definite budgetary commitment to proceed with the National Museum on Acton Peninsula.

The Greens have put forward this motion to highlight another issue that we do not think has been handled very well by this Government. Yesterday Mrs Carnell tabled a finalised land swap agreement. We note that the letter from Mr Warwick Smith was dated yesterday and was sent over from Mr Smith's office only about two hours before the statement was tabled. Obviously, our motion has had some effect in speeding up the Government's action on this issue, but it is a very poor process, and once again you wonder: Where is the system in how this Government works?

We do not think, however, that this motion is now irrelevant. While we now have a commitment from the Federal Government to a land swap agreement, we do not have any commitment from the Federal Government to actually build the National Museum of Australia. The letter also says that the issues covered in the letter will be included in a formal contract to be signed as soon as possible. Presumably, this contract will set out in absolute detail all the terms of the land swap. However, we have not seen this contract, and the Assembly has not had the time to consider or to approve this document. I have heard many members of this place say that they believe that in a minority government we all do need to be consulted on such major issues.

I have put forward this motion because I do not think that the Assembly has had the time to digest the statement made by Mrs Carnell yesterday and to consider whether the land swap agreement we have been presented with is actually in the best interests of the ACT.

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