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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 7 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 2085 ..

MR SMYTH: Yes, Mr Speaker, I am aware of that accusation. It is quite curious. Mr Hargreaves has actually put out a press release citing major flooding in Banks. I just wonder how the residents of Wollongong would see that. In that he does say that, if the Government had put in adequate stormwater drainage, perhaps this could have been avoided. Mr Speaker, I would have to agree with that. If the problem has been caused by government incompetence, perhaps that government should be duly castigated. But I guess the question, Mr Speaker, is: Which government?

Mr Speaker, when do we put in stormwater drains? Normally, we put them in before we put the houses in. As the Minister for planning, I am aware of that. So, we have to ask: When was the infrastructure put in? This is the curious part, Mr Speaker. This part of Banks - Banks 2, section 5B - was developed between 1991 and 1993.

Mr Hird: What year was that again?

MR SMYTH: It was between late 1991 and August 1993. Who was in government then, Mr Speaker? I do not think it was the Carnell Government. I am sure that it was not at that stage the Alliance Government. So, which government was it? Mr Speaker, if the Labor Party played this issue like the Colombian football team plays soccer, Mr Hargreaves would be accused of scoring an own goal, and we are all aware of what happened to the goalie there during the World Cup. But, luckily for Mr Hargreaves, the Labor Party has grown up a little and does not shoot people now for scoring own goals.

Mr Speaker, if the problem were indeed caused by a government mistake, as asserted by Mr Hargreaves, Mr Hargreaves might want to castigate the government responsible. If he wants to do that, unfortunately for him, he has to stand up, turn round in his seat, look Mr Wood in the eye and say, "You made a mistake, Bill". In short, if Mr Hargreaves is right and this is a result of government incompetence, this is perhaps another one of what Mr Corbell referred to as "Labor's little planning mistakes". Mr Speaker, if this is the case, then what it means is that this Government, the Carnell Government, now has to pick up another one of Labor's costly planning mistakes. There was the $8m this year for Harcourt Hill, the oversupply of land that is still existing four years later, and now possibly major flooding in Banks. Thanks very much for raising the issue, Mr Hargreaves.

MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, I would like to debate that. I think the Minister needs to go back in time and see exactly what happened in that regard.

Mr Humphries: He just did. That is your problem.

MR WOOD: He wants to go back to the records, I think, Mr Humphries. My question is to the Minister for Education. It concerns the Department of Education and the public relations disaster that it is currently being experienced in the Tuggeranong Valley concerning the enrolment at Lake Tuggeranong College next year of current Year 10 students who live in Kambah. I am sure the Minister is aware of the problem.

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