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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 3 Hansard (26 May) . . Page.. 563 ..

Olympic Games - Travel Proposal

MR RUGENDYKE: My question is to the Chief Minister. It is not about Hall. I will leave the Hall questions to the Labor Party. Ms Carnell, I read with interest on Friday details of a proposal from the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games to include free public transport in tickets to games events held in Sydney in the year 2000. The free transport proposal is applicable to a zone extending from Scone in the north-west to Goulburn in the south-west, but excluding the ACT. Due to the fact that our city has committed itself to a $27m project at Bruce Stadium in order to host Olympic soccer, I am concerned that people from Canberra stand to miss out on the benefits offered by a free transport zone. Chief Minister, I would like to know whether the Government was consulted about the free public transport proposal by SOCOG.

Mr Humphries: Mr Rugendyke wants a seat, obviously.

MS CARNELL: I do too. As far as I know, we were consulted, Mr Rugendyke; but I will take that up with the officials who are doing the negotiations with SOCOG. I do not think that is fair either. I think they should provide transport. If they are going to do it to Goulburn they should do it to the ACT as well. Similarly, we would like some free transport into the ACT out of New South Wales to get in for our soccer games as well. I think that is a really good question and I will follow it up.

MR RUGENDYKE: I have a supplementary question. Can I take it from your answer that you may be writing to Michael Knight urging him to reconsider the proposal and that you will include the question about free travel to our area?

MS CARNELL: I am very happy to write to Michael Knight. He was in Canberra yesterday, I think, to look at Bruce Stadium. I am sure he now understands what a fantastic stadium it is, and what a great Olympic venue we have here in the ACT. I hope that he would be positive about any request.

Rural Residential Development

MR HARGREAVES: My question is to the Chief Minister and, Mr Speaker, it is a very short question deserving of a very short answer. Chief Minister, in relation to the exclusive preliminary agreement or contract over the proposed rural residential development near Hall that the Government entered into with Mr Derek Whitcombe, can the Chief Minister tell the Assembly whether the agreement was drafted by a government legal officer or a consultant legal firm?

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I do not know who drafted the agreement. We use both internal solicitors and external solicitors. I am happy to take the question on notice.

MR HARGREAVES: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. To clarify the issue, I am interested to know, if a private firm was used, which firm it was and how much it cost. If it was done by the government legal office, when did that take place?

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