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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (18 June) . . Page.. 1740 ..

MS McRAE: Mr Speaker, I seek permission, under standing order 46, to make a personal explanation.

MR SPEAKER: Proceed.

MS McRAE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, acting in good faith and on the information I was given, I asked Mr Humphries to explain what was going on in regard to the dumping process that was going on at Fairbairn. I specifically asked why a permit was first granted, and then a new and wrong permit was further granted. Mr Humphries took the question on notice.

As it turns out, it was permission that was granted, both times, not a permit, and those concerned believed that a permit had been granted. So, I would like to withdraw any reference to a permit. In the first instance, it was believed that the permit was granted because the Fairbairn site was believed to be a free dump site, and therefore it was okay. In the second instance, they spoke to the local site management and believed, in that case, that it was okay. Both of them subsequently turned out to be wrong, although we are not sure about whether the Fairbairn site was a free dump site.

The people who informed me acted in good faith, and I acted in good faith in following it through; but I would like to withdraw any reference to a permit or any impression that the department was remiss in any way in the issuing or non-issuing of these permits. I would still like Mr Humphries to take on notice the part of the question that asks what is going on, because the dumping from the Acton site has been planned for an awfully long time. These people, acting in good faith, believed that they had permits and permission to do all of this, and now it does not transpire. So my explanation is in regard to that. Thank you for indulging me, Mr Speaker.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, my question without notice is to Mr Humphries in his capacity as Minister for the Environment, and it relates to the proposed fees at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Minister, in the Estimates Committee on 29 May you undertook to provide to the committee details of the various projects being undertaken this year at Tidbinbilla, the costs for each project and how they would be paid for. Minister, why did you fail to provide the information requested by the Estimates Committee concerning the cost of each of the proposed new projects at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve as a result of the introduction of the $8 entry charge to the reserve? Why did the answer you did provide arrive late, taking two weeks instead of the required three days? Will you now undertake to provide complete details of the projects planned to be undertaken at Tidbinbilla this financial year, including the individual costs for each project, by the close of business today?

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