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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 11 Hansard (5 November) . . Page.. 3638 ..

Mr Wood: A different proposition.

MR HUMPHRIES: In principle, it is no different. It is exactly the same thing. If you are saying to me that every bit of urban open space as it now stands is valuable and must be protected, then you had better go and tell Ms Reilly to forget about her plan to build on some urban open space that is, at the moment, reserved for parkland. If that is what you believe, you should say that. Mr Wood, you have been over in this seat as well. You know perfectly well that that kind of rigidity is not what is expected.

Mr Wood: I know how the people protect their parkland, Mr Humphries.

MR HUMPHRIES: You know perfectly well that it is not expected. I have no doubt that in the past you have probably approved, or considered, applications for conversion of that land to that kind of purpose as well. If we go back and look at the files, we will probably find that you did. I think we have to be flexible about it. Let us not panic because someone says, "Let us use a bit of space for something different". Let us not all run to the barricades and say, "No, no, no; we must not permit any change". We are going to have a sensible debate about an evolving use of land in the Territory only if we do not react in that way but think sensibly and talk sensibly about these proposals. I am prepared to do that. I do not want to rush to conclusions about things before I have heard the argument, talked about it and thought about it at some length. Let us all behave in that way, and we will be able to deal with these issues more sensibly.

MRS LITTLEWOOD: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. I suspect that Mr Wood might be interested in the answer, because it has to do with people's jobs. In recent weeks there have been numerous announcements of major projects going ahead in the ACT. Can the Chief Minister inform members as to the level of investment involved in these projects, what they indicate about confidence in the future of Canberra and the jobs they will create?

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I am sure that, some months ago, many members of the Assembly saw a major national-circulation news magazine that ran a cover story posing the question: Does Canberra have a future? In the context of massive Commonwealth spending cuts and flow-on effects to the whole Canberra economy, there was a crisis of confidence about the future of the national capital. Mr Speaker, I am delighted to say that a string of major investment announcements in the past few weeks has emphatically confirmed something that we on this side of the house have absolutely never doubted, and that is that Canberra does have a very bright future. Mr Speaker, you could be forgiven for suggesting that those on the other side of the house do not believe that at all, because they believe that nothing should ever change, it appears.

In total, Mr Speaker, more than $270m has been committed to just five major projects that have been announced or significantly enhanced over recent weeks. Two hundred and seventy million dollars is a lot of confidence, Mr Speaker, and it is a lot of jobs, in anybody's terms. These projects include the National Museum of Australia -

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