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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 6 Hansard (2 September) . . Page.. 1763 ..

MR HARGREAVES (12.29): I want the record to show that we are particularly pleased at the response by the Minister and we look forward to a good response from the Urban Services Committee.

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to put something on the record.

Leave granted.

MR SMYTH: As many members have said, there are a large number of disused sites. As part of the policy that I put out on 18 July, regarding those empty sites - we have no indication what will happen with many of them - the oil companies, or the owners, have two months. So by mid-September I hope to have a clear indication of the future of all those sites.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

Sitting suspended from 12.32 to 2.30 pm

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Periodic Detention Centre

MR STANHOPE: My question is to the Minister for Justice and Community Safety. In this morning's Canberra Times there was a report about a police investigation into allegations against officers at the Periodic Detention Centre. Will the Minister confirm that all officers with possible conflicts of interests within the department disqualify themselves from all the relevant stages of the departmental investigation into or handling of the matter?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Stanhope for his question. The circumstances of the investigation into the matters that Mr Stanhope referred to today and yesterday, as I indicated yesterday, are complicated somewhat by the fact that some of the matters touching on this question are before the court and there is a suppression order in respect of at least some of the proceedings, so I will answer very carefully. If I am not completely full in my answer, it will be at least in part because of my awareness of that order and my desire not to transgress it.

I can advise the Assembly that a former temporary employee of Corrective Services has made allegations to a number of people about officers of ACT Corrective Services. The matter is now being treated as a public interest disclosure under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1994. To ensure that the allegations are investigated in a fair and independent manner, they have been referred to the Auditor-General for his investigation.

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