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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (29 November) . . Page.. 3383 ..

MR SMYTH: Yet again, Mr Speaker, when it does not suit them the Labor Party are willing to throw the process out the window. The Assembly referred the Lake Ginninderra master plan to the committee and it is appropriate for the government to wait for the committee's report. While that consideration is being undertaken, the government has changed one of its policies and the Chief Minister has stated that designated urban open space now will not be developed. When we get the report back from the committee, that will be taken into consideration.

The Belconnen Town Centre master plan is a draft plan. It is out there for consideration. When the plan is returned to the government it will be considered in light of the government's policy. It is curious, Mr Speaker, that the Labor Party is the one which, through Bill Wood as its planning minister, actually bought Tuggeranong Homestead as a residential development site. It is a part of the open space that Tuggeranong residents value.

Mr Corbell: I rise to a point of order, Mr Speaker. I would like the minister to tell the Assembly where Tuggeranong Homestead was mentioned by Mr Hargreaves in his question.

Mr Humphries: I rise to speak to the point of order, Mr Speaker. It is a well-established principle of question time that, in answering a question a member has asked, a minister can give examples or make reference to other issues that are related to it. The minister was asked a question about Tuggeranong and he is answering a question about Tuggeranong.

It is entirely appropriate that those two things be connected. Mr Speaker, we have had a succession of points of order from members opposite. It is very difficult for ministers to be able to answer questions with that kind of interjection and repetitive points of order being taken the whole time. I ask you to rule that those sorts of things are not in order.

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

MR SMYTH: You can always tell when it stings because they always jump and they claim relevance. Those opposite, through Mr Wood, as planning minister-we see now that it was just a stunt by Mr Corbell in the lead-up to their preselection to discredit Mr Wood-were going to put residential on the Tuggeranong Homestead site. This government has said that we will not.

Members interjecting-

MR SMYTH: This government has said that we will see it return to the urban open space and protect it into the future.

Mr Wood: You are proposing to put hotels on it.

MR SPEAKER: I am getting very tired of these constant points of order.

Mr Wood: We are getting rubbish from over there.

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