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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 7 Hansard (6 June) . . Page.. 2011 ..

Mr Wood: Build a tower.

MR HARGREAVES: That's the thing-yes, we could build a tower, as a cemetery. I don't think that's going to work. The fact is that it is highly unlikely that anybody will make a quid out of this in a private sector arrangement. This legislation does not sell the current trust; it does not sell the Gungahlin Cemetery. It does not sell the Woden Cemetery. But it removes the legislative restriction from somebody who wants to be a private operator actually entering into the marketplace and doing it.

Now, I do not like it; I don't like it at all, but I cannot come up with a good enough reason to stop that, particularly when the perpetual tenure is absolutely guaranteed. Of course, I say that acknowledging that in the next Assembly or any one after that you could have a government with a majority come into this house and just go bang, "We'll change the legislation," and allow it to happen anyway. That could happen.

And if you think that a majority government is not possible in this town, I refer you to what has been happening in Tasmania. It could happen. So what we have an opportunity to do now is have a round table, develop those regulations amongst ourselves, on a non-partisan basis, so that there is no reason for any other government to even think about it. Let us develop those regulations before they are targeted as disallowable instruments. Let us do it together.

It's just delaying the matter for the sake of delaying it. I do not think there is any need to. It concerns me that we are going to flick it to a committee. We have no idea of how long the inquiry would take. How long is a piece of string? I don't know. What are we going to do-advertise for the public to put in submissions? We would probably get about four or five of those. I do not think there is much mileage to be made out of that. I do-as I have said, and I will say it just one more time-acknowledge a change of heart, centred on the change in the legislation to perpetual tender. My other feelings are still the same, but it is a case of: let us face the inevitability of it all.

So I suggest, very sincerely, that the opposition consider going ahead with this piece of legislation or knocking it off.

Debate (on motion by Mr Stefaniak ) adjourned to a later hour.

Privileges-Select Committee

Establishment

MR WOOD (Minister for Urban Services and Minister for the Arts) (12.09): I move:

That

Notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 71, a Select Committee on Privileges be appointed to examine whether the unauthorised receipt of e-mails from Mr Wood's office was a breach of privilege and whether a contempt was committed.

(2) The Committee be composed of:

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