Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 8 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 2496 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (Treasurer, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Community Safety) (12.27): Mr Speaker, I will be very brief in closing the debate. I assume that we will return to the detail stage this afternoon. I thank members for their support for the legislation. This is, of course, a very significant transition in the administration and monitoring of gambling activities in the ACT. We have for the first time recognised that gambling has an impact which is community-wide and which in its various facets needs to be considered in an integrated way. For that reason, the proposed legislation contains a commission which would have overarching powers with respect to all forms of gambling in the ACT. I am pleased that members have supported the concept and, putting aside the issues we will debate in the detail stage, it is pleasing to see that there is some support for those concepts.

Mr Speaker, much work will need to be done, clearly, in the future about just what gambling is all about. Do we see it as an industry with significant benefits to the broader community, do we see it as simply a source of problems or do we see it as something in between? That is a matter on which, I suspect, some further research will need to be conducted to answer that question more fully. Mr Speaker, I indicate my appreciation of members' support for the Bills.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

MR SPEAKER: Order! It being almost 12.30 p.m., the debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 74.

MR STANHOPE: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. Yesterday the Chief Minister, in answer to my question, told the Assembly that two of the agreements between the Government and tenants of Bruce Stadium - those with the Raiders and the Cosmos - contained confidentiality clauses that prevented their release. The third agreement, that with the Brumbies, did not contain a confidentiality clause. Can the Chief Minister now say whether documents submitted to the Government by Lend Lease, the unsuccessful short-listed tenderer for the redevelopment, also contained confidentiality clauses? Will she explain to the Assembly the nature of the confidentiality clauses in contracts with the Raiders and the Cosmos and, if they exist, in tender documents from Lend Lease? If she cannot explain them, will she table those clauses?

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, there is a standing order about questions being on one topic only. It is standing order 117. I would like you to rule on whether a question with multiple parts is in order.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .