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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4936 ..

MR MOORE: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker, which will not surprise you. I accept what the Chief Minister is saying about continuing those discussions in government. I also think it is just as important to get a similar assurance from her, particularly on the last part of my question in this last question time. Will she be prepared to continue those discussions if she is not in government?

MRS CARNELL: Yes, Mr Speaker, I would be very happy to continue them. I am just not sure that the Government will convene them if we are not in office. I was extraordinarily disappointed at the Labor Party's attitude to safe houses. Mr Osborne even had a representative at these meetings, and we all know that Mr Osborne has a very definite view on these things.

Mr Moore: Mr Osborne was there.

MRS CARNELL: He was there; that is right. The Greens were there, the police were there, people who have very fundamental problems with the use of drugs in our community were there; but who was not there? The Labor Party, Mr Speaker.

Mr Berry: Because I do not like secret meetings.

MRS CARNELL: Secret meetings with the police, Mr Osborne, the Greens, the Liberal Party, ADICT, everybody else. Everybody was invited, Mr Speaker, but the Labor Party refused to turn up. We even approached the Labor Party, saying, "Look, we know we cannot progress this unless it is absolutely non-partisan. This is a very difficult issue". Even then, Mr Speaker, there was absolutely no cooperation at all. I think it shows that that party, in terms of such difficult moral issues as safe houses, is simply not up to speed.

MR CORBELL: My question is to the Chief Minister and Minister for Business. Chief Minister, on 30 October this year your deputy, Mr Humphries, told the Canberra Times that there would be "sweeteners to attract and hold businesses, such as relief from government charges, in the industry strategy which is to be announced around late November". Chief Minister, today is 11 December. Where is that plan?

MRS CARNELL: I suspect it is with the printer at this moment. It has certainly been approved. It has certainly been signed off by me. It is in its final stage, so I assume we would be launching it next week. It must be very close to next week. At this stage it would be with the printer.

MR CORBELL: I have a supplementary question. Chief Minister, Labor has already launched its "Working Capital Plan". Today we have the highest ever unemployment figures in the Territory. I know the Government thinks it is funny to have the highest ever unemployment figures in the Territory. Is it not about time that your plan was released? Can you tell us exactly when it will be released?

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