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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 3 Hansard (10 April) . . Page.. 874 ..

MS HORODNY: Given the fact that the majority of the population are prepared to pay a little more - I would be interested to hear where Mr Kaine has got his market research from - to invest in green power, I would like to know where your market research is to indicate that ACT residents do not want the choice of buying green power. If you have not done this research, should not a green power scheme for the ACT be a very high priority for ACTEW, if they are going to stay competitive?

MR KAINE: Not in my book, Mr Speaker.

Totalcare Industries - Chief Executive

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, my question without notice is to Mr Kaine in his capacity as Minister for Urban Services. Minister, will you confirm that the chief executive of Totalcare Industries has sought or received a pay rise to reflect additional responsibilities flowing from the transfer of functions from the Department of Urban Services?

MR KAINE: I have no information on that subject. He certainly has not sought a pay rise from me, but I will take the question on notice and see whether there is any substance to this furphy too.

Cemeteries - Privatisation

MR BERRY: My question is to Mr Kaine in his capacity as Minister for Urban Services. Minister, recently the RSL raised concerns about the prospect of privatising the cemeteries in the ACT. In fact, this matter was reported in the Canberra Times on 26 March 1997. Following this article, the Cemeteries Trust wrote a letter to the Canberra Times, which was published on 2 April 1997 and in which it was made clear that the trust did not support any sale of the cemeteries. Minister, can you inform the Assembly whether the Government has investigated the possibility of selling the cemeteries? Furthermore, can you confirm that the Government intends to proceed with the sale of the Territory's public cemeteries?

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, there is no doubt that the future of both the Norwood Park Cemetery and the Woden Cemetery needs to be examined. Woden, of course, has been closed for some years, and the situation at the moment, as everybody knows, is that no matter where you live in Canberra you have to use the services of the Norwood Park Cemetery. In connection with Woden, there is a maintenance backlog there that the Government is aware of and we have to find the funding somehow to fund that. There is also the question of whether or not there ought to be a second crematorium in Canberra. A proposal has been put forward; it was not initiated by the Government. On the basis of all of those facts, the Government is looking at the future.

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