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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 10 Hansard (14 October) . . Page.. 3185 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

"(3) The Committee may make interim reports and its final report shall be presented to the Assembly by the first sitting day after 30 June 2000.".

I had not proposed to speak to this motion but, having regard to the nonsense that we have witnessed in relation to the previous motion, I will give a little bit of background. The motion is about a select committee which was formed by resolution of the Assembly on 6 May. I am the chairman of the select committee and Mr Osborne is the deputy chairman. The third member of the select committee is Mr Cornwell from the Liberal Party and the Government.

The committee has met and had a detailed briefing from departmental officers in relation to the tendering process. As members know, the Committee Office has been under considerable pressure and has felt some significant strain as a result of the amount of work that the committees have been doing. We are all aware of that. Mr Hird complains constantly about the fact that he has to run from committee meeting to committee meeting.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: He does not run!

MR STANHOPE: Well, stumbles manfully from committee meeting to committee meeting.

Mr Hird: I run.

MR STANHOPE: He runs. We all know that. It is a matter of debate. Actually, as part of the sterling work that Mr Hird does, he often addresses this Assembly in the most stirring tones, as he did today in his speech on the Federal Golf Club, which was an excellent speech. I guess you just whipped it up in an idle moment or two, Mr Hird. I enjoyed your presentation this morning.

Mr Hird: Thank you.

MR STANHOPE: I did. As I was saying, the Committee Office is under significant pressure. We all know that. Mr Hird comments on it reasonably constantly. My committee has met.

Ms Carnell: Once.

MR STANHOPE: We have met once and we had a very good briefing.

Mr Humphries: Once. It had better be a good briefing.

MR STANHOPE: Let me go on. We met the once at a time we had a temporary secretary and we had a very good briefing from officers of the Department of Urban Services and another meeting - - -

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