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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (29 August) . . Page.. 3611 ..
Mr Berry: It is hardly business. It is just a statement from the minister.
MR SPEAKER: There is a ministerial statement listed. I do not know what it is about.
Mr Stanhope: It was listed yesterday. You just list a ministerial statement every day and you answer no questions.
MR SPEAKER: Just a moment. I would imagine that you will get your answer in due course anyway, as the minister has indicated.
Mr Quinlan: Mr Speaker, if it helps, I am prepared to wait until the ministerial statement, provided that Mr Humphries is prepared to give a complete answer.
MR SPEAKER: I am afraid that is entirely up to the minister.
Caswell Drive
MS TUCKER: My question is directed to the Minister for Urban Services and relates to the media release put out last night that stated that the government supports the Aranda Residents Association over their preferred route for the Caswell Drive duplication, which is for building a new Caswell Drive some 200 metres to the east of the existing road opposite Aranda and turning the existing road into a local access street for Aranda residents.
Minister, in your media release you stated that the Aranda Residents Association's preferred route is the government's preferred route and that the government's preferred route for this road is to have the duplication as far away from houses as possible. I find it quite unusual that you have said that after a long debate in this Assembly over variation 138 which, when you look at the maps, is based on Gungahlin Drive directly joining the existing Caswell Drive at Belconnen Way. If you are now supporting the moving of Caswell Drive 200 metres to the east, variation 138 becomes inoperative. Other members who supported the eastern route should be concerned as the southern end of the route that they think they approved yesterday will not be the one that will have to be built if Caswell Drive is moved.
Minister, are you going to put out a replacement plan variation to move Gungahlin Drive to the east to match a moved Caswell Drive or are you just giving Aranda residents a false sense of security before the election, but have no real intention of moving Gungahlin and Caswell drives? It is quite clear that you will have to change that variation if you mean what you said.
MR SMYTH: As I said in the press release, that is subject to feasibility studies and an engineering analysis to make sure that it is achievable. It is the process that we have always followed. A route has been proposed. We happen to believe that moving it slightly to the east will give a better outcome for the Aranda residents. We will now do the feasibility and engineering studies to see whether that is achievable.
MS TUCKER
: I have a supplementary question. Given that Caswell Drive was not part of the terms of reference of the Maunsell inquiry, which only examined the environmental impacts of the Gungahlin Drive extension between Belconnen Way and
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