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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (29 August) . . Page.. 3610 ..

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, I do have a supplementary. I think that the minister may have just put himself in the position of misleading the Assembly when he says he has not received anything from the NCA. My advice on this matter does not come in fact from the Canberra Times. It is much more direct than that. So I ask the minister again: will he table a copy of the advice that he has received?

Furthermore, as a supplementary question, will the minister undertake not to do anything between now and the start of the pre-election caretaker period on 14 September that would result in the effective exclusion of the western route from further consideration in light of the advice that you have received from the NCA?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I will follow the advice of the Assembly and the process that is laid out for the revision of a territory plan-that is, that the disallowance not having been supported yesterday, the process is that as a matter of course the variation would be gazetted.

TransACT

MR QUINLAN: My question is to the Chief Minister and relates to TransACT. I understand that the Chief Minister is scheduled to make a statement today in the Assembly regarding the decision of some of the shareholders to increase their investment to varying degrees. The statement was due yesterday. I am assuming it is going to be made today.

Based on past form, the statement may contain no more information than recent replies to questions without notice, so I thought I would take this opportunity to try to educe some specificity. The Chief Minister has given two answers to questions seeking his knowledge of the estimated final cost of the TransACT cable rollout. He has said that he did not know, and he has said it was around $200 million. Is the Chief Minister now prepared to provide a more indicative idea of the estimated total rollout cost of TransACT?

MR SPEAKER: I remind the Chief Minister of standing order 117 (f), about anticipating business on the notice paper, if that is the case.

MR HUMPHRIES: I will be answering that question in my statement shortly.

MR QUINLAN: I ask a supplementary question. How much needs to be further found beyond current investments made and commitments made?

MR HUMPHRIES: I will be answering that in my statement as well.

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, business usually involves a motion or a bill, but does it include a statement?

MR SPEAKER: Standing order 117 (f) states:

Questions may be asked to elicit information regarding business pending on the Notice Paper but discussion must not be anticipated;

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