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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 1 Hansard (19 February) . . Page.. 198 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

Canberra, as a bush capital, will always have the propensity to burn. This happens every year. How many years in the last 10 years has Mt Taylor gone up? Probably six or seven. How many times has the paddock of grass at the intersection of Isabella Drive and Clive Steele Avenue burnt in the last four or five years? Numerous times. Oxley hill burnt three days in a row because people kept coming back and lighting it. This city, because of its nature, has a propensity to burn. We need to fireproof ourselves, and we urgently need information to help us do that.

I put two challenges to the government. This motion will go down, and I think that unfortunate. I think this is an opportunity lost and I think we will rue that outcome. So I put this challenge to the Chief Minister: if the difficulty is simply that you do not want to accept my terms of reference, I am happy to surrender it. Use yours, Chief Minister, but elevate this to an inquiry under the Inquiries Act so that it can have the power to do the job properly and thoroughly. Mr Macleod will no doubt do his review properly, authoritatively, within the tools that he has. Elevate this to an inquiry if you wish, but give him the tools under the Inquiries Act to do it the best he can. My final challenge is: why won't you upgrade your review to an inquiry when that will clearly serve the people of Canberra so much better?

Question put:

That Mr Smyth's motion be agreed to.

The Assembly voted-

	Ayes, 6  			Noes, 9

 Mr Cornwell  Mr Stefaniak  	Mr Berry  	Mr Quinlan
 Ms Dundas     			Mrs Cross  	Mr Stanhope
 Mrs Dunne    			Ms Gallagher  	Ms Tucker
 Mr Pratt      			Mr Hargreaves  	Mr Wood
 Mr Smyth     			Ms MacDonald 

Motion negatived.

Totalcare-financial information

MS DUNDAS (5.14): I seek leave to incorporate the amendment circulated in my name into the motion standing in my name on the notice paper relating to financial information with regard to Totalcare.

Leave granted.

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