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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2834 ..

MR STEFANIAK: I thank the member for the question. It is a rather strange one because I thought it was pretty well public knowledge that there was a Ministerial Advisory Committee on Housing. I have made a few statements in the Assembly in relation to that. Ms Reilly, you have asked me a few questions, as have other members, over about the last six months. It is pretty well public knowledge that we have one. I will check up on that. I might even have put out a press release about it as well, Ms Reilly. I will certainly check that one out, too. I certainly recall there being a bit of discussion about it in the public domain.

Mr Moore: Have a launch, Bill.

MR STEFANIAK: You raise an interesting point. I think I might have had a launch, Mr Moore; but, if Ms Reilly wants another one, I am quite happy to do that.

Mrs Carnell: Maybe you missed a media opportunity, Bill.

MR STEFANIAK: I may have missed a media opportunity, yes. Thank you, Chief Minister. Ms Reilly, thank you for pointing that out.

Ms McRae: Maybe the Chief Minister did it. You do not know.

Mrs Carnell: No, I would not have - - -

MR STEFANIAK: I do not think I did. Say that again. I missed that. I was talking. You can tell me later what the joke was, or I will read it in Hansard, Ms Reilly.

Ms McRae: Mrs Carnell forgot to ask you to the launch, Mr Stefaniak.

MR STEFANIAK: Oh dear, Ms McRae! What a wit! Anyway, Mr Speaker, in terms of the minutes of the meeting, I do not think this group should be any different from any other advisory committee and I think the minutes of those meetings should remain within the committee. Ms Reilly, I would be very surprised if you did not know the make-up of this committee because I think I have announced it on a few occasions. The committee has been formed as a result of a lot of consultation within the sector and a consensus of opinion and agreement reached by people in the sector on the ideal size of the committee. A lot of work went into that in some initial discussions.

It is proposed to hold a number of forums in relation to the wider housing community, where people can raise issues as well as just points which we take into the committee. There are a number of people represented on this committee. It represents various groups in the sector. The size of the committee is something which those various people agreed to themselves as an optimum working level in a committee that was actually going to get a lot of work done. It is doing some very good work at present. It is looking at such things as the future Commonwealth-State arrangements. It is looking at things such as "big flats" strategies and a number of other very important issues on which it will advise government - this Government and whoever is the government next year, Ms Reilly.

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