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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 9 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2575 ..

Mr Moore: That is not what Sister Berenice tells me, Jon. Nor is it what the hospice society tells me. That is not what they tell me.

MR STANHOPE: You would be surprised what they tell me, Minister. Some of it I cannot repeat to you.

MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, just before I call upon you, I would like to recognise the presence in the gallery of a group of people under the Practical Reconciliation Group, the Jundah project. There are three people from the Aboriginal Community in Cherbourg in south-east Queensland visiting us today. As requested by the women in Cherbourg, the young people were selected by a panel of judges in Cherbourg based on short essays they wrote about the matter of reconciliation. I would like to recognise Rosie Collins and Naomi Malone, who are both aged 14, and the adult accompanying them, Sandra Morgan. Welcome to the ACT Assembly. We hope you are enjoying your visit to Canberra.

Members: Hear, hear!

MS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (11.00): Mr Kaine is no longer in the house, but I will answer his questions with regard to the V8 rally. He asked whether the amount of money we are appropriating is the total cost of the race. Yes, it is. It is certainly a net appropriation, as members can see from the figures they have been given. As a net appropriation, it is the difference between the total expenses and the revenue for the event.

Mr Kaine went on to ask a sensible question that those opposite have not asked. He asked for a breakdown of the $4.5m capital works figure. I do have a full breakdown of that for Mr Kaine. It includes concrete barriers, $1.6816m, which is for 2,102 concrete barriers at $800 per unit; pit lane blocks, $500,000; track and civil works, $685,000; race kerbs, $70,000; two pedestrian overpasses at $115,000; and 40 pit garages at $1,000 each. The list also includes starting lights, temporary toilet facilities, sewerage services, Telstra services, fencing for spectators, chain mesh fencing, temporary platforms for the starter - all the way through the whole process. Obviously, Totalcare and others will be able to tender to provide those services.

Mr Humphries tabled this Bill last Tuesday. That is a week ago. We have had three question times since then. Members have had a week of opportunities to ask for extra briefings if they still had questions they wanted answered. The thing that is concerning for me in this debate is that, despite that, those opposite say they are still concerned that they do not have all of the relevant information. It is fascinating that over the last week there has been not one request to Mr Humphries as the Treasurer or to me as the Minister responsible for tourism and therefore the V8 race. If there were so many pressing questions that those opposite desperately needed answers to before they could vote on this issue, they did not bother to ask any of them. That does not indicate that a whole lot of questions desperately needed to be answered.

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