Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 2 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 437 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

I am sorry that I was not quick enough to get to the Clerk to move an amendment to Mr Corbell's amendment. I had sympathy with the fact that he did not want to be restricted to sitting weeks. I was going to change his amendment so that we could have draft terms of reference. I would have done that if I had had time.

There is perhaps the potential for Mr Corbell to change the motion again so that we take into account his concerns about restricting the motion to sitting weeks. I do not know whether there is a way to do that. If someone else talks, I will talk to the Clerk.

I thought Mr Corbell said in answer to Ms Dundas' question that he thought the terms of reference would be available by March. Mr Corbell, in this debate, said it could take extra months because of the requirement to table the draft terms of reference in a sitting period. If he is talking of months, I think he is talking of the middle of the year. From memory, that is the only time we are going to have such a large distance of time between sitting weeks.

I am hoping that what Mr Corbell said to Ms Dundas is correct and that it is going to be sooner than that. I think we should get on with that. I am hoping that the requirement that the draft terms of reference be tabled in the Assembly will not hold the process up. I am also genuinely asking Mr Corbell, who is not listening, to consider consulting and to be cooperative with the notion of this motion. We acknowledge that it is his role ultimately to develop the terms of reference, but I am very disappointed that he is not prepared to have a little broader debate about it. It should not be just up to PALM and him if he is genuine in the statements he made during the election campaign about wanting to work with the community.

MRS DUNNE (5.37): I seek leave to move the amendment circulated in my name.

Leave granted.

MRS DUNNE: I move:

I will not speak to the amendment, because I already have.

MR CORBELL (Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services, Minister for Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations) (5.38): Mr Speaker, I need to make it very clear that the government is committed to ensuring that there is a very broad-ranging public debate about public transport in this city. But the government is concerned, and I am concerned, if we are embarking on a process where every consultancy this government undertakes has to be ticked off by the Assembly before the consultancy commences. That is what this motion is proposing today. It is saying, "You cannot commence this consultancy into this very important issue until the Assembly has had its say."

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .