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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (6 December) . . Page.. 3736 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

Mr Corbell referred to a public meeting. That meeting was attended by Mr Corbell, by Ms Tucker's representative because she was overseas, and by the Speaker, Mr Cornwell, who I have to say did not rise and defend the government's or the minister's honour at the time. But at least he was there at short notice. Maybe he just wanders from place to place in Canberra stirring up the residents.

Mr Corbell: Aimlessly.

MR QUINLAN: Aimlessly wandering the town, stirring up discontent and ferment within the population, with nothing else to do. What happened at that meeting was important. Those people attended and the minister was going to attend. "Hang on, we will start in five minutes, he is coming soon. The minister is coming, he will be here. We have had a message from his spokesperson. He will be here." I have to tell you, Mr Minister, it is not good PR to have 200 people standing around waiting for you to turn up. You made a commitment to turn up but you did not do so. That is just a tip. It is something you might take on board, particularly when 200 people are quite perturbed about what is going to occur. They want to know what sort of traffic is being planned to run through Power Street and Hurley Street where, because Mawson is going through a regeneration phase, quite a number of kids live.

I heard the minister mention some numbers relating to urban open space. My tertiary studies in statistics are limited, but I did do some. I have to say to the minister that he is using figures as non - numbers. So I suggest that he takes a lesson in how to use statistics. He should also take a lesson in using logic. There is quite often a relationship between statistics and drawing conclusions, and that is logic - I will spell it out for you later.

Mr Smyth: So now we are a professor of logic.

Mr Hargreaves: At least he has got a degree.

MR QUINLAN: I was an outstanding graduate, if you want to know. Do you want to see the academic record?

Mr Smyth: So what? People who don't have degrees are somehow inferior? Thank you, Mr Hargreaves.

Mr Hargreaves: You can't match it with those that have.

MR QUINLAN: I have got HDs all over the place, and in statistics as well. It looks like we are going to have for some time a continuing debate about infill space in Canberra. If we start slinging around non - statistics like Stirling has got 20 per cent or 30 per cent open space because all the district ovals happen to be in the middle of Weston Creek -

Mr Corbell: I think the word is exorbitant, Mr Quinlan.

MR QUINLAN: Yes. The situation in Mawson is similar. The minister accused Mr Corbell of giving half the story. You are giving the wrong story. But, as I said, the minister has acted probably out of ignorance and not out of malice. When there are 200 people waiting at a public meeting then I suggest that half the story from Mr Corbell is better than none of the story from you.

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