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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 11 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 3376 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):


houses that we have are not necessarily their first choice. What we have to do is to make sure that we get this right. This is a long-term process and there is no point in just saying that as of mid-February we will have a date when it will all start. This is an ongoing thing. Bill Stefaniak started it. He started it very well by announcing the big flats strategy. We are addressing those problems and we will get on with the job.

Ms Carnell: I ask that all further questions be placed on the notice paper.

Water Franchise

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, may I give some further information from question time?

MR SPEAKER: Yes, certainly.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I am advised from the CGE, that is, the French water corporation or the entity that runs it, that the concession - - -

Mr Humphries: Compagnie Generale des Eaux, probably.

MS CARNELL: That is the one. Can you just say that again?

Mr Humphries: Compagnie Generale des Eaux.

MS CARNELL: That is it; that is the one. He did it well.

Mr Humphries: Just a guess.

MS CARNELL: It is, but that is the one. The advice is that concessions or franchises in force in France are commonly for 25 to 30 years. We will certainly give Mr Kaine more details of some of these arrangements if he is interested, and I am sure that he will be.

Mr Speaker, I was also asked what would happen with regard to the pipes if the franchisee changed in the future. If the existing franchisee - at the moment, that would be the owners of the pipes - did not win the franchise for the next period national access codes and competition policy arrangements would mean that the new franchisee would have access to the pipes under the terms and conditions set by the independent regulator. This would happen very smoothly, and would not impact at all on service delivery under, as I said, the national access code requirements.

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