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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (30 August) . . Page.. 2644 ..

MR BERRY: I will send that to her suite shortly. It will-

MR SPEAKER: Remove it immediately.

MR BERRY: It will come back with a bit of care and attention, and judicious pruning, but it should be returned to an environment closer to its own. Mr Speaker, I am sure you will be able to manage that with the new-found knowledge about what happens to tropical plants which come to the ACT.

Mr Speaker, in 1997 the Chief Minister announced our Olympic Games soccer bid and she stressed the benefits for Canberra being an Olympic city. These included $23 million in direct benefits from the matches to be played here. I have to remind the Chief Minister that at that stage she promised us eight to 11 games in a redeveloped Bruce Stadium that was to hold 40,000 people. Promises, promises. The Chief Minister said at the time that "one of the greatest benefits to Canberra is going to be the significant media coverage of the national capital right around the world". Did anybody look at the TV last night? It was a good idea not to, and probably it would not be a good idea to do so tonight either.

MR SPEAKER: Ask your question.

MR BERRY: These benefits for Canberra have been quoted in hundreds of millions of dollars. What is the estimated cost to Canberra of the negative media coverage of the Bruce Stadium fiasco, in particular the most recent problem with the turf? I point to your soon to be received present from me to give you an idea of what happened to the turf. What is the impact of the humiliation on the people of the ACT who have had to tolerate Canberra bashing for decades? When will you take responsibility for this?

MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, this is a rhetorical question.

Ms Carnell: It is-it is an opinion.

MR SPEAKER: Mr Berry, would you like to ask your supplementary? And please do not raise that plant again.

MR BERRY: I have not got it in my hand.

MR SPEAKER: My only regret is it is not man-eating.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, it has come into a warmer environment, and I can see that it is coming back. What is the estimated cost to Canberra of the negative media coverage of the Bruce Stadium fiasco, in particular the most recent problem with the turf? That question is not rhetorical-it gets to the issues.

MR SPEAKER: I am afraid it is, Mr Berry. It is a rhetorical question.

MR BERRY: It is no different to Harold's question-that nonsense we have just had.

MR SPEAKER: I do not know how the Chief Minister could possibly answer that question.

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