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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 8 Hansard (8 August) . . Page.. 2626 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

For the record, so that the minister can no longer continue to perhaps inadvertently mislead this place, the Australian Labor Party has placed on record its support for the development of that project but, as it has done on a number of other occasions, it has criticised the manner in which the approval has been granted. The exercise of the call-in power in relation to the Lyneham tennis centre was, in the Labor Party's view, inappropriate, and we will not in any way shy away from that.

Perhaps the minister's rather simplistic attempt to blacken the Australian Labor Party has more to do with his failure to be able to cope with notions of clear, if complex, planning issues than the Australian Labor Party's approach to this development proposal.

For the record, if the minister is able to produce anything from the development proponent that indicates that Australian Labor Party comments have led to his capacity, so far, to not secure finance for the project, then I would welcome such signed comments from the development proponent. But, Mr Speaker, I am not going to hold my breath.

World War 1-Australian Army Corps

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Attorney-General) (6.21): Today is the 100th anniversary of the Australian Army. It is also the 83rd anniversary of the start of the end of that dreadful war, World War 1, on 8 August 1918-a day that, according to Ludendorff, was the blackest day in the history of the German Army. On that day, five divisions of the Australian Army Corps led by General Monash and supported by, I think, some New Zealand, Canadian and British divisions, made the most significant advances up until that time, capturing some 30 per cent of all prisoners, guns and tanks taken by allied forces.

This was probably the most significant feat of arms ever by the Australian Army, an achievement which led directly to the defeat of imperial Germany in World War I and ended that dreadful catastrophe. It also effectively ended the stalemate which had taken millions of lives on the western front. I think it is worthy of note that today is the anniversary of the finest feat of Australian arms that helped draw to an end that dreadful war.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Assembly adjourned at 6.22 pm

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