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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (4 December) . . Page.. 4583 ..

MS McRAE: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Land and Planning. Minister, yesterday, you advised this house that no decision had been taken on the redevelopment of the ROCKS area. Then, last night, you came back into the house to advise that you had, once again, misled it and that, in fact, a memorandum - - -

Mr Humphries: That is not true. Mr Speaker, to accuse members of misleading is very serious. I did not mislead the house at any stage, and I would ask that that be withdrawn.

MR SPEAKER: Please withdraw.

MS McRAE: I will withdraw "misled" and say that you had, once again, given the house the wrong information and that, in fact, a memorandum of understanding had been signed. Minister, when was that memorandum of understanding signed, and who signed it? Further, what are the commitments in the MOU? Will you now accept that the concerns of the tenants and users of the ROCKS site are, in fact, valid?

MR HUMPHRIES: The answer to the last part of the question is no, because the memorandum of understanding does not entail any commitment that any of the particular proposals will occur. It is merely an arrangement between the Government and the proponent who has come before the Government to deal with its proposal vis-a-vis the Government, not vis-a-vis anybody else. Mr Speaker, I have not misled the house and nothing that I have said to the house at any stage is inconsistent. The Government has not made any decisions about the redevelopment of that site. It has entered into a memorandum of understanding with that proponent - the NDH company - but that does not imply either that that company is certain to have the right to redevelop that site or that any particular feature, if a redevelopment does occur, should exist in that redevelopment. So, nothing I have said is inconsistent - - -

Ms McRae: So, when did you sign it? Who signed it? That was my question.

MR HUMPHRIES: It was signed the day before yesterday, and it was signed by the head of the Department of Urban Services.

MS McRAE: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. So, when you advised the house that no decision had been made, was it really because you did not know? If you do not know, why is it that a Planning Minister is excluded from decisions relating to his portfolio? How would we find out how many other decisions have been made without your knowledge?

MR HUMPHRIES: What a stupid question, Mr Speaker! I have indicated - - -

Ms McRae: We found out only after you went back to check when we asked the question. You did not know.

MR SPEAKER: Order! A question and a supplementary question have been asked. Mr Humphries is answering.

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