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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 5 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 1356 ..

MR SMYTH: We are still working on those details. It would appear that it is somewhere in the vicinity of 130 or 150 students. It would appear that it is about $45,000 a year, but the data on this is limited. We are working off ABS data. We are trying to get the Education Department, in conjunction with the Catholic Education Office and the non-systemic Catholic schools, to get a fuller and better picture, but it is somewhere in that order of magnitude.

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Urban Services in his capacity as Minister responsible for planning and land management. Can the Minister confirm that the internal confidential review of Planning and Land Management currently being undertaken by Mr Mick Lilley, Mr Alan Thompson, Mr Rod Gilmour, Mr Lincoln Hawkins and, we understand, a representative of the firm Ernst and Young has as its aim finding a $1m saving in Planning and Land Management?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I am not aware that a $1m target has been set. I set up the review. I simply wanted to make sure that I am getting the best as planning Minister and that the people of Canberra get the best out of the planning system. It is like several other reviews that I have had. We are looking at BEPCON. We are looking at things like the grants to the environmental groups. As incoming Minister, I have established several of these reviews. I just want to make sure that we are doing the best job that we can.

MR CORBELL: I hope that you look at better ways of briefing yourself on what a block and a lease are. Minister, my supplementary question is this: Can you tell this Assembly how many jobs in PALM will be lost as a result of this internal confidential review? Do you anticipate any job losses following the review?

Mr Smyth: Sorry; what was the last bit?

MR CORBELL: Do you anticipate any job losses?

MR SMYTH: I have made no decisions there. I have simply asked that we look at how PALM functions. It is an internal review. They are looking at what PALM does and what it delivers, and I will make decisions later.

MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, my question is also to Mr Smyth. If he has made no decisions about PALM, we know that he has made decisions about BEPCON, and that is what my question is about. I suspect the same decision to be made about PALM. Minister, given that the days of the busy BEPCON office at Phillip seem to be numbered, what assurances can you give southside residents and small business operators who dread the thought of adding a one- hour return trip to Mitchell whenever they need to lodge plans or use any

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