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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 2 Hansard (11 March) . . Page.. 596 ..

MR SMYTH

Under a grants process, which is assessed by an independent panel, it is quite inappropriate for me to interfere.

As to the concerns of the conservation council - and I acknowledge the presence of Katheryn Maxwell and Nicola Davies from the conservation council here in the Assembly today - the ability is there for them to apply under any of the categories for funding. There is a special category called "advocacy and promotion" that would clearly suit their aims. In regard to any other projects that they wish to carry out in any other sections, they could apply for them as well. The independent review panel, I think, is headed by Professor Peter Cullen. If I were Professor Cullen I would be quite upset if Mr Corbell were insinuating that the grants process is not independent. He should withdraw that assertion.

Mr Corbell: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I asked the Minister whether or not he would table the review, and he has specifically refused to answer the question. He has not answered the question.

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I have already said that the results of the review are out there in the form of applications. People are applying under this review for grants now. If Mr Corbell refuses to accept that, that is his problem.

MR WOOD: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, I refer to the BIS Shrapnel report, entitled "Canberra Retail Study", which you released on 11 December last year.

Ms Carnell: And is public, yes.

MR WOOD: Yes, indeed it is. I have a copy. Chief Minister, is the report as presented an independent study?

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, that particular study has had input from all sorts of people. It depends on what your definition is, I suppose. But, yes, it has had input from all sorts of people. All parts of government, I assume, would have had input to that study. One thing I can guarantee is that I have not had input to the study yet, but I certainly plan to.

MR WOOD: The question then needs to be asked, Mr Speaker, as a supplementary: What was the extent of any doctoring or massaging of the report specifically to suit the Government's own purposes?

Mr Quinlan: That is a jolly good question.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, the process with BIS Shrapnel was the same sort of process that happens with all of these sorts of reports. There was input - - -

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