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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 5 Hansard (6 May) . . Page.. 1501 ..

MR OSBORNE: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services. Minister, can you confirm that a contract has been signed between the Government and Capital Chilled Foods for the use of the Canberra Milk logo?

MR SMYTH: I thank the member for his question and his interest in this matter. Yes, a contract has been signed between the Milk Authority and Capital Chilled Foods to license the use of the Canberra Milk brand for a period of four years. Let me assure the Assembly that the brand itself will be still owned by the Government through the Milk Authority, but this move ensures that Canberra Milk will continue to be available to consumers. Under the terms of the agreement both the local industry and its jobs have been protected, in line with the Government's reforms for the industry to help it survive at a time of great change in the national milk market. The agreement ensures that local processing has a future by requiring the brand to be used only for milk processed and packaged in the ACT. It also requires Capital Chilled Foods to promote the brand extensively for the life of the agreement.

MR WOOD: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services, Mr Smyth. It is about the Minister's proposal in the budget papers to evict workers from their homes at Uriarra. Why can you not, instead, look after those tenants, as you should do, and maintain their homes like any decent landlord?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, we will be looking after the needs of the tenants. It is because of the needs of the tenants that we are actually doing that. The housing is very old. It is housing that has had identified in it asbestos, lead paint and termites, and it is housing that, to be serviced adequately, requires some $2m worth of infrastructure to be upgraded. The upgrading of the actual houses is estimated at some $1m. So, what we are talking about is not spending $3m on inappropriate housing but spending money wisely and appropriately to ensure access and social justice for all of those people on the waiting list as well.

MR WOOD: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. The tenants do not think that you are looking after their interests; they want to stay. Since you will not help the workers there, is it equitable, is it fair and is it decent now to hand the area over, probably to rural residential developers, for on-sale to yuppies?

MR SMYTH: That is certainly an idea, Mr Speaker, and I thank Mr Wood for the idea. No decisions have been made on rural residential development. We are still finishing the wrap up of the consultation period. This decision is about whether it is appropriate for us to have housing in rural areas whereas, to better serve the needs of tenants, they should be located near services and they should be of a standard commensurate with the needs of the tenants. We will deliver on that.

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