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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 2416 ..

MR HUMPHRIES: I seek an extension of time such as would permit me to complete my remarks.

Leave granted.

MR HUMPHRIES: I thank members.

If we had wanted to do that, we would have said, "We seek your Government's support to amend the Act to remove 99-year restrictions and to put in place 999-year leases". But we did not say that. We said that we wanted to remove the 99-year restriction, which is the restriction we understand to exist in the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act, a Federal Act, that prevents this Assembly from dealing with that issue. That is consistent with what I said in response to Stein and consistent with what I said to the Assembly on 12 December.

It is consistent, thirdly, with the statements as annunciated by the Minister for Territories himself. I wrote to Mr Smith yesterday, after speaking to Ms McRae, once I knew - or thought I knew from what I discussed with Ms McRae - exactly what it was that was to be brought against me today on the floor of the Assembly. In my letter, and I think I have tabled the letter - if I have not, I will do so at the end of my remarks - I asked him, "Can you please clarify or put on the record what it was that we discussed at our meeting on 27 June?". He replied to that today by saying:

I can confirm it is the Commonwealth's intention to legislate as stated in our 1996 Election Policy.

I will come back to that. He went on:

That policy commits the Coalition Government to supporting the introduction of 999 year leases, but also recognises that this matter is ultimately a decision for the ACT Legislative Assembly to make.

Accordingly, the legislation I propose to bring forward to the Commonwealth Parliament will amend the Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910 to allow the ACT Legislative Assembly to make laws to grant leases longer than 99 years.

That is unambiguous. It is not to allow the ACT Government to create leases longer than 99 years; it is to allow the ACT Legislative Assembly to make leases longer than 99 years. That is consistent with what I discussed with Mr Smith on 27 June, it is consistent with my statement on 12 December, it is consistent with what I said in response to Stein, and it is consistent with the Chief Minister's letter to Mr Smith I referred to earlier, which was tabled in December. It is consistent with all those things. Again, there is no evidence anywhere in any of that documentation to support the view that we were, in fact, seeking the creation of 999-year leases by the Federal Parliament or by the Federal Government - none of it, not a shred of it.

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