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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 13 Hansard (20 November) . . Page.. 3872 ..

Land development

MR CORBELL (Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services, Minister for Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations) (6.10): Mr Speaker, in question time today, Ms Dundas asked me a question about the Harcourt Hill joint venture and the Gold Creek Country Club. I have some information for Ms Dundas and I will endeavour to provide the remainder of the information on the next sitting day.

The Harcourt Hill joint venture was established to develop the residential estate in the suburb of Nicholls. The territory is a 50 per cent partner in the joint venture. The development included the construction of the Gold Creek Golf Course and Country Club. Up until December 1997 the country club and golf course was owned and operated by the Harcourt Hill joint venture.

Mr Speaker, as a result of a downturn in Canberra's property market, the Harcourt Hill joint venture was restructured in late 1997. As part of the restructure, the territory accepted full ownership and management responsibility of the country club and golf course. The Harcourt Hill joint venture remains responsible for the development and sale of residential land around the golf course. Since the inception of the Harcourt Hill joint venture, the territory has received a return in the order of $30 million through profit share and land payments from the Harcourt Hill joint venture.

There has never been a join venture with the Gold Creek Country Club. Prior to the restructure of the Harcourt Hill joint venture in 1997, the country club, as I have indicated, was an asset of the joint venture. Following the restructure, the country club became an asset of the territory. The only joint venture is with Harcourt Hill, which develops the residential estate surrounding the golf course. It is worth noting that the Harcourt Hill joint venture has yielded the territory a profit since inception.

Mr Speaker, after obtaining full ownership of the golf course and country club, the government undertook a review of safety around the golf course. As a result of this review, a number of pockets of land have been transferred from the Harcourt Hill residential estate into the area occupied by the golf course. This has improved the safety buffer between the golf course and adjoining residential properties. A small amount of land not required by the golf course was also transferred to the Harcourt Hill joint venture for residential development.

Abortion

MR CORNWELL (6.12): I want to correct something that Mrs Cross said yesterday at the conclusion of her speech. She said:

The people of Canberra need to understand that when they cast a vote for Mr Humphries, Mr Smyth, Mr Pratt, Mr Stefaniak, Mr Cornwell and Mrs Dunne, they are really casting a vote for the Right to Life Association and the policies and principles of some of the more extreme elements of the Roman Catholic Church.

Mr Speaker, I just want to set the record straight. Members who were in the previous Assembly are well aware, as indeed you are, sir, that my stand on the question of abortion has been that I will vote against any motion, irrespective of who may put it up, relating to this issue. I have made my position publicly clear on this on a number of

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