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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (11 November) . . Page.. 3913 ..

MR STEFANIAK: I thank the member for the question. I would be interested to hear of any instances of trees being chopped down or any such proposals Ms Horodny might know about. One of the beauties about Canberra which you would appreciate, Ms Horodny, is that people are very aware of our wonderful natural environment. Trees, of course, play an essential part in that. In schoolgrounds trees, apart from adding to the beauty of the surroundings, are very practical in that they provide shade. With Canberra having such a high incidence of sunlight, that is a very important consideration.

Mr Kaine: I shall never see a thing as lovely as a tree.

MR STEFANIAK: Indeed, Mr Kaine. I am surprised at the question. In my experience trees are a very valued part of the landscape around schools. In fact, in some of the outlying areas of Canberra, the newer areas of Canberra, school communities are terribly keen to see the trees grow as quickly as possible because they provide shade.

Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am loath to save the Minister, but he is not the Minister for the Environment and he should not be talking about where trees are in Canberra. What about trees in schools and what you are doing about them?

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order. I cannot rule on the obvious.

MR STEFANIAK: I will sit down, Mr Corbell. Ms Horodny asked me about schools. Ms Horodny, I would like you to tell me about it if you know of any instances of trees being removed. I would be very surprised if any school board or any school was keen to cut down its trees. I think a school would look at that only for very good reasons, and in many instances with some reluctance. Trees are an essential part of schoolgrounds. I specifically stress the importance of the role they play in providing shade. If you have any instances, Ms Horodny, let me know.

MS HORODNY: I ask a supplementary question that you might want to take on notice, Mr Stefaniak. Apparently, a couple of big old trees at Palmerston Primary School were removed. I would like to know what the situation around that was.

MR STEFANIAK: I will certainly take that question on notice, Ms Horodny. I am not aware of that, so I will see what occurred with those trees and get back to you.

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister, Mrs Carnell. Chief Minister, will you deny that any discussions took place between you and the former Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Tony De Domenico, in relation to a prospective job offer from the private sector before the offer was made to Mr De Domenico?

MRS CARNELL: Yes, I would deny that. How could I have a discussion with him about an offer that had not been made? I am not sure how I could do that.

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