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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 11 Hansard (20 October) . . Page.. 3369 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

woodland is on rural land or broadacre land which presents opportunities for off reserve conservation but is not protected yet. Could you please clarify for the Assembly what the figures actually are and where you got them from?

MR SYMTH: Mr Speaker, before I quoted those figures in this place I think I said I did not have with me the exact figures as written down. My memory of it is that they were the figures. I will confirm those for Ms Tucker.

MS TUCKER: So you are going to correct a mislead if there was one? You will get back to the Assembly? Thank you. My supplementary question is this: Of the 19 per cent of grassy woodlands that are on rural land and the 14 per cent of woodlands on broadacre land, how much of this area will be protected under your proposed land management agreements? Are you actually guaranteeing that the full 91 per cent will be protected, because you are giving us reassurances here?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I did not bring a yellow box and red gum action plan down with me so I do not have the figures in front of me. The 91 per cent is the figure that is there. The Government will be endeavouring to protect what we have left.

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Urban Services. Minister, my office has received more complaints from residents at Torrens concerned about the Torrens petrol station site. Used syringes have been found on the site, kids have been seen skateboarding inside the fenced area, and apparently in the early hours of Sunday, 10 October the site caught fire. Clearly the site represents not only a safety risk but also an environmental problem to the residents of Torrens. On 22 April this year Mr Osborne asked you a question about the site and in that answer you said that Ampol, on 9 April 1999, had lodged an application to vary the lease purpose clause to allow the construction of eight townhouses. Has this application been approved?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, when I gave that answer that was the information that I had at hand. Mr Hargreaves is right. There has been an incident there recently and a fire did occur. I guess that like any open space or unused space in the Territory there is always the prospect that syringes may be found there. Some of that problem might be addressed if we had a safe injecting place where people could go if they feel inclined to do that and they could dispose of their syringes appropriately. As to the progress of the application, I will have to get an answer for the member and get back to him.

MR HARGREAVES: I have a supplementary question. Minister, if you do not know whether this application has been approved, I point out that it has been lodged since April. That is an awful long time ago. When will you enforce your Government's policy relating to service station sites and when do you expect the development to take place? Why has it taken so long? You can reply to those questions by taking them on notice if you like.

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