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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 2909 ..

MR WOOD (continuing):

Finally, I want to focus on something that has not been mentioned yet, and that is an important side benefit of operating a prison. In my estimation, we would employ 60 more Canberrans in doing so. There is already a staff of 40 or more at Belconnen; but we would need another 60, I would expect, if we were operating a facility of about 200 or so. There are 60 more jobs for Canberra people presently being carried out by people in areas distant from the ACT. Those jobs provide yet another reason that we should move on this prison.

MR OSBORNE: Mr Speaker, under standing order 46 I wish to make a personal explanation on some issues raised by Mr Hird. A number of weeks ago comments that Mr Wood and I made did appear in the Chronicle. It was shortly after we had been to Junee, I think. As chair of the committee, I was made aware that Mr Wood was going to speak to the Chronicle. I fully supported it, and I spoke to the Chronicle as well.

Since then we have had an informal meeting with Mr Humphries and his department. We discussed what we were going to do, saying that we were going to make a statement. We let them know what we were going to say in that statement. Beth Irvin, our secretary, circulated our statement a number of days ago, maybe late last week. All members had a copy of that statement. It had not yet been endorsed by the committee, although I had been endorsed, as chair, to speak on it.

Neither I, as chair of the committee, nor Mr Wood was approached by Mr Hird to let us know that he was going public with his views on the gaol. I was told yesterday that Mr Hird had no conversation with Mr Cooke a couple of weeks ago, as he claimed he did. It was actually the day before the article appeared. If Mr Hird is so desperate for publicity, so be it; but, as chair of the committee, I was a little bit disappointed that Mr Hird did what he did. That is life, I suppose.

MR HIRD: Under standing order 46, I wish to make a personal explanation. I am disappointed that Mr Osborne or Mr Wood did not discuss their article with me as a member of the committee. I did receive the statement on either last Friday or Monday of this week.

Mr Osborne: Certainly, before the article in the paper.

MR HIRD: I did the interview some two weeks ago, and I told Mr Osborne that. That can be verified by the reporter.

Mr Osborne: If you are so desperate for a headline, Harold, go for your life.

MR HIRD: If Mr Osborne is so desperate to get his nose out of joint, that is his problem. What is good for one should be good for everyone. I did not issue a press release, and I do not believe I did any more or any less than what Mr Osborne did as chair of that committee.

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