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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 9 Hansard (5 September) . . Page.. 2875 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

What will happen when a member of the public needs a transport officer on a Sunday and one cannot be found? Do you not consider this another inconvenience and difficulty in the provision of services to the travelling public?

MR SMYTH: Perhaps Mr Corbell is unaware but, in effect, we are being evicted from the current location in the Saraton building. Our lease is at an end. We have looked for ways of continuing to provide the sort of service we like to provide to our tenants. Part of that is that sales will be relocated to the newsagency, which I understand is open seven days a week. Mr Moore tells me that he bought his last batch of tickets for ACTION from that place on a Sunday. The traffic officers themselves will be relocated to the library.

MR CORBELL: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Minister, did you ask to have the lease renewed for the existing office in Civic? What are the government's intentions in relation to the Belconnen, Tuggeranong and Woden ticket offices?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, we always look to renew if we can where it is advantageous to the government and advantageous to the people of the ACT. As members would be aware or should be aware the government shopfront which was also in the Saraton building has moved across the road to FAI House. Under the loss of that lease, ACTION will relocate its ticket sales to the newsagency and put its officers into the library.

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, I would like to draw attention again to the Bruce Stadium imbroglio and the government's incompetence on the issue. I particularly draw attention to an article in-

Mr Moore: Spare us the preamble.

MR BERRY: A preamble is quite fine at this point, Mr Moore.

MR SPEAKER: To whom are you addressing the question, please?

MR BERRY: I will get to that, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Just a moment.

MR BERRY: Okay. I direct my question to the Chief Minister through you, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you. It is in fairness to the ministers. They have to be able to listen and pick up the question.

MR BERRY: I draw the Chief Minister's attention to two articles in the Canberra Times on Saturday which I am sure she read. One was particularly worth noting. A journalist speculated, I think with tongue in cheek:

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