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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 14 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 4462 ..

MRS DUNNE (7.30): Mr Speaker, I move amendment No 10 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 4506].

This is a fairly simply amendment aimed at ensuring that the Land Development Agency operates with a business plan. It is designed to remove any doubt that this is optional and makes it compulsory. The Liberal Party thinks that if the Land Development Agency must operate it should do so with an obvious business plan.

MR CORBELL (Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services, Minister for Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations) (7.31): It is fairly clear in the bill that there is a requirement for a business plan. The government will not be accepting Mrs Dunne's amendment, because it is superfluous. Clause 38 (4) of the bill indicates that there is a requirement for a business plan and that the agency has to act in accordance with the latest business plan accepted by the minister. Given that, I fail to see the purpose of Mrs Dunne's amendment, and the government will not be supporting it.

MS TUCKER (7.32): I will support Mrs Dunne's amendment. I think her words read better than those in the bill. What is in the bill is slightly clumsy.

MRS DUNNE (7.33): I thank Ms Tucker for her support. I reinforce that this amendment is not superfluous. The current wording leaves open the possibility that the Land Development Agency could operate without a business plan. I want to take out the "if"to ensure that it can operate only with a business plan.

MR CORBELL ( Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services, Minister for Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations) (7.34): Although Ms Tucker is prepared to support this amendment, I still feel it is six of one and half a dozen of the other. The government will not be supporting the amendment, but I do not think it is worth pushing the issue too far.

Amendment agreed to.

MR CORBELL ( Minister for Education, Youth and Family Services, Minister for Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations) (7.35): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to move amendments 21 and 22 circulated in my name together.

Leave granted.

MR CORBELL: I move amendments 21 and 22 [see schedule 1 at page 4499].

These amendments amend clause 40. Amendment 21 removes the word "promptly"and requires the Land Development Agency to provide information to the minister under this clause within 14 days. This is part of the standardisation of periods of time.

Amendment 22 adds to a requirement that the agency present to the Legislative Assembly within six sitting days a statement providing details of its actions under clause 41 of the bill. If the sitting days for the Assembly are such that the statement would not be presented within six days after the minister is told of the action, the minister must give the statement to members of the Assembly within those 14 days. Again, this is a new standard of timing which is being addressed in a series of amendments to the bill in the

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