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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 4 Hansard (10 April) . . Page.. 910 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

Mr Speaker, it strikes me as odd in that context that a Liberal Party that wanted to build this road on the eastern alignment-a very destructive alignment-along the O'Connor and Bruce ridge area has the temerity to stand up in this place and criticise this government for seeking to develop an alignment which has the least possible impact on those two ridges. They were prepared to build-

Mr Smyth: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: the question is fundamentally whether or not the government will keep its election promise. It is not related to what the Liberals have promised or done. The question to the minister is will he honour his election promise before or after he builds his road. I know that he doesn't want to answer the question, but I would ask that you draw his attention to his leader's election promise. Will he honour it?

MR SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, I am getting sick of saying this but I have spent 12 years in this place at various times asking members on the other side questions and trying to get them to answer the questions the way I wanted them to. It never worked for me but it never stopped me trying. I don't think it will work for you. I repeat: I cannot put the words in ministers' mouths that you wish to have them utter. So Mr Corbell, continue.

MR CORBELL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. So it is the height of hypocrisy for the Liberal Party to then stand up in this place and say, "How dare you build a road on hills, ridges and buffers." Of course part of that road is going to be built over Bruce ridge. Is that a big state secret? I don't think so. I think it is very clear from all of the debate over the past three years that the western or eastern alignments at some point cross the Bruce or O'Connor ridges. The difference is that our alignment has the least possible impact in comparison with the view and the position adopted by the previous Liberal government. So that is the difference.

The government is committed to the establishment of mechanisms to protect urban open space and to have it entrenched in the Territory Plan, and this was also made clear in the policy document. I draw the attention of Liberal Party members to the fact that it said it would be entrenched. How do we propose to entrench it? We propose to entrench it by referendum. When do we propose to do that? We propose to do so at the next election. If you had read the policy you would have known what the answer was.

Chlamydia

MS DUNDAS: My question is to the Chief Minister and Minister for Health. Is the minister aware of the almost tripling of chlamydial infections in the ACT, for young people aged 12 to 24 years, since 1995? Minister, in your term, what initiatives can we expect to help curb the spread of this often hidden and under-reported disease? Or do you, like an unfortunately increasing number of people in Canberra, have safe-sex fatigue?

MR STANHOPE: Yes, I am aware of the incidence of chlamydia, Ms Dundas. In fact, your question might have come from a press release that I issued on the subject a year or so ago as to the alarming increase in chlamydia.

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