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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (25 June) . . Page.. 2075 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

Mr Speaker, I have to tell you that I think that is a very sensible thing for this Government to do. If we did not do it, if we were not protecting our assets, those opposite would have very good reason to say, "Government, what have you done to protect an asset worth over a billion dollars?". We have asked Fay Richwhite to look at those sorts of issues - issues that should have been looked at by the previous Government, because we knew about deregulation then. They were not looked at by the previous Government, but they are being looked after by us because we are protecting the community.

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, this does not sound like an answer to the supplementary question.

MR SPEAKER: The supplementary question has been answered, Mr Berry.

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, my question is directed to Mr Humphries, the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning. Mr Humphries, could you verify that the current leases occupied by Woolworths do not allow the sale of petrol? Secondly, will you assure the Assembly that, before any changes are made to leases that would allow Woolworths to sell petrol from a supermarket lease, you will inform the Assembly?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, to the best of my knowledge, the answer is yes, there is no capacity for existing lease conditions to permit the sale of petrol from those supermarkets. My understanding of what Woolworths have put to the ACT Government is that they are proposing not to sell petrol from their existing retail leases but to acquire land in a surrounding car parking lease, in most cases, and be able to sell petrol from there. Some of the sites that they have proposed require variations to the Territory Plan to achieve that effect. In other cases they require changes to the lease purposes, if there are leases in respect of that land, for the issuing of a right to be able to trade in petrol.

Mr Moore asked me whether I would come back to this place to consider - - -

Mr Moore: Before doing any of those changes.

MR HUMPHRIES: I have not asked - - -

Mr Berry: "I would have to find out what everybody else is doing first".

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Moore asked the question.

MR HUMPHRIES: I have not asked other members of this place what they think about the proposals. If the Assembly expresses a desire to be involved in that decision - it is not one that I would normally bring back to the Assembly - I am willing to do that, and members can collectively share in the responsibility of making that decision if they wish to.

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