Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 8 Hansard (30 August) . . Page.. 2650 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

The flora and fauna committee are responsible for developing these plans. They have done those plans and I have complete confidence in them. They have said that north Watson woodland does not need to be included. That is not to deny that there are not some significant trees on that site, and we are aware of that, but it is not yellow box/red gum grassy woodland.

What will be the position when we go to develop that area, and we should? Mr Corbell told us in the debate on Kinlyside in regard to all the areas being put aside for development as residential that we could not have rural/residential in Kinlyside because the government would get a lesser return and it would use up valuable residential land. But now what we hear is that we need to do more work on Kinlyside, which is a site that has not been assessed, because there are some significant communities there and that rural/residential may be the most desirable outcome for protecting the environment of the yellow box/red gum in the ACT. But the work has been done, the process is good and it has led to 100 hectares being put aside. The flora and fauna committee presided over that and I am very happy with the work they have done.

MR SPEAKER: Ms Tucker.

MS TUCKER: I was so helpful-I really tried to help the minister understand the question but I guess he has just damned himself with his answer. The minister said that he thought that the woodlands did have some significant trees. Will you guarantee that those trees will be assessed for the significant tree register that you announced yesterday before you proceed with any more plans for development?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I have said all along that we concede that there are some significant trees there, but it is the understory that has gone. The understory has been grazed out in it bears no similarity to what you would expect to find in yellow box/red gum. We know that through appropriate development controls you can save significant trees. We have said all along that those trees would be taken into account when that land is released for development, and we will do our best to preserve those trees that deserve to be saved.

MR RUGENDYKE: My question to the Chief Minister relates to Bruce Stadium. Chief Minister, recently I found a copy of a report from the ABC website of 24 May this year, which is headlined "Docklands may run out of grass". The two subjects interviewed were representatives of the former Docklands Stadium managers, Nationwide Venue Management, the organisation recently sacked from Bruce Stadium, and also turf provider StrathAyr. One of the reasons that StrathAyr was forced to source this botched turf from Cairns was that it had not anticipated the amounts of replacement turf needed on the troubled Docklands playing field.

Can the Chief Minister confirm that Melbourne-based StrathAyr is contracted to provide the turf at Bruce Stadium? Could she also confirm that the turf was transported on a two-day journey from Cairns on the back of a semi-trailer that was not refrigerated?

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .