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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 3355 ..

Gungahlin Drive extension

MR KAINE: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services. Minister, you will be aware that, at a public meeting in Lyneham on 20 August, in connection with Territory Plan variation No 138, the Chief Minister said:

that is, on the fate of variation 138-

That means, pretty explicitly, that a decision now on variation 138 is not immutable.

At the same time, you will also be aware that the National Capital Authority, which will have the final say on this matter anyway, has advised the ACT government that the gazettal of variation 138 should not proceed until after the NCA has concluded its deliberations on this matter, since it affects the National Capital Plan.

Given these two facts-that is, the Chief Minister's public statement and the NCA's position as advised to you-will you give an undertaking that, irrespective of what occurs at a later hour this day, the government will not proceed with the gazettal of Territory Plan variation 138 before the pre-election caretaker period begins on 14 September?

MR SMYTH: The government's position was made quite clearly by the Chief Minister at that meeting, and we will honour the Chief Minister's commitments.

Landfill

MR OSBORNE: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services. It is in relation to the landfill sites. Minister, I received a telephone call in my office today from a gentleman informing me that a business in Yass was dumping their rubbish at the Belconnen tip. Are you able to tell me whether this is legal? We were not sure whether it was. Does the department have a policy on taking interstate rubbish? What rate do the tips charge for interstate rubbish to come into the ACT?

MR SMYTH: We charge for everything dumped at the tip that goes to the tip face. There are some concessions for items that are recycled. In regard to the specifics of Mr Osborne's question, I will have to take them on notice and find out for him.

TransACT

MR QUINLAN: My question is to the Chief Minister. It relates to TransACT. In discussions over Actew's decision to increase its investment-using public money, I might add-in TransACT, little detail has been advanced as to the cause of the blowout of costs of the cable rollout and the need for additional investment. I recollect that newspaper cuttings I have show that in early July Mr Mackay spoke of exchange losses and possibly some problems with rollout. As a shareholder in the shareholder that

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