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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 11 Hansard (21 October) . . Page.. 3457 ..
MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I am not aware of any section of my department that has been asked to cut its operational budget by a third, or anywhere in the government, for that matter.
MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. Documents released to the Opposition under freedom of information legislation reveal that on 7 April 1998 the Chief Minister wrote to the CEO of SOCOG complaining that SOCOG had announced the designation of the Canberra Parkroyal Hotel as the Official Olympic Village for next year's Olympic soccer matches in Canberra without reference to the ACT Government or Project 2000. What was SOCOG's explanation in relation to your complaint? Did SOCOG offer any information about how it chose the Parkroyal, and did it offer any comparison of competing bids?
MS CARNELL: The answer to that is: Not to my knowledge. SOCOG, of course, had every right to do that because they are paying for it, but we believe it was important to keep the ACT Government and Project 2000 in the loop of decision-making that SOCOG was engaging in in the ACT so that we would not all stand on each other's feet, basically, and so that we all knew what each other was doing.
MR HARGREAVES: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Did I hear the Chief Minister say that SOCOG was paying for it? The Chief Minister's letter also reveals that the ACT will be responsible for the cost of the village. Can she say how much it will cost? Has SOCOG made any other decisions affecting the ACT's obligations under the memorandum of understanding without reference to the Government?
MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, my understanding is that the cost of accommodation is part of the fee that is paid to SOCOG. SOCOG then pays for accommodation on behalf of athletes. So it does come from SOCOG, but via our fee to them. That fee, by the way, is capped, so it cannot be more than a certain amount of money. If SOCOG pays too much for accommodation, that is their problem, because our total exposure is capped.
MR RUGENDYKE: My question is to Mr Smyth, the Urban Services Minister. Minister, traders in the Federation Square and Gold Creek area at Ginninderra are concerned about information that they have heard about a multi-million dollar development in the area of Gold Creek which has the potential to impact adversely on their businesses. Is the Minister aware of any plans for a major development in that area? If so, what are the details?
MR SMYTH
: Mr Speaker, many ideas for furthering commerce in the ACT float around. I am aware that there has been talk over a considerable period of time about possible further development in the Federation Square and Gold Creek area. I am not
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