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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 5 Hansard (11 May) . . Page.. 1453 ..

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Gungahlin Drive Extension

MR STANHOPE: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services. Mr Speaker, in answering a question yesterday from Mr Berry, the minister refused to rule out that he had improperly suggested to Mr Gower, the president of the Gungahlin Community Council, that the council should support the government's John Dedman drive option-that is, the eastern route-or risk losing the road altogether. Will the minister now tell the Assembly what it is that he is trying to hide in refusing to answer questions relating to his contacts with Mr Gower?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, if Mr Stanhope had not been yelling at the time, he would have heard me say that the statements issued by Mr Gower were of his own volition. Mr Speaker, my senior adviser contacted Mr Gower to ask what he had said in the committee hearings, because we were being asked by the media for a comment. My senior adviser had not been there and she simply wished to get clarification. Mr Gower advised that he had been misunderstood and that the statements being made by Mr Corbell in his media release were not correct. She then asked, if that was the case, was he going to clarify the situation and Mr Gower said yes, he would. He then called the media that were doing a story-

Mr Corbell: Oh, so she asked him to clarify the situation.

MR SPEAKER: Be quiet, Mr Corbell.

Mr Corbell: She asked him to clarify the situation, did she?

MR SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, I am not going to put up with constant interjections. I will deal with you if you continue.

Mr Corbell: I do not think it is constant, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Perhaps, that is what caused the problem yesterday, as Mr Smyth mentioned. Continue, please.

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, he then contacted the media-he called the media that were doing the story-and clarified it. He clarified his statements. They are his statements. He clarified them. If you are still asking did I force or bully the Gungahlin Community Council into supporting the government's route, as I have pointed out over the past two days in this place, no, I did not. If you are asking did my senior adviser force or bully the Gungahlin Community Council into writing its statement, as I have said over the last two days, no, she did not.

MR SPEAKER: Before I call Mr Kaine, I would like to recognise the presence in the gallery of members of the University of the Third Age. Welcome to your Assembly.

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