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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 9 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 3169 ..

MR QUINLAN: Yes, I can. The government has a long-term strategy, part of which is the economic white paper that is under production. I notice that every now and then-

Mr Smyth: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. There are questions on the notice paper about the economic white paper. Is it out of order to be asking questions when answers have not been received to questions without notice?

MR SPEAKER: It would have to be exactly the same as the question on the notice paper, Mr Smyth. You have not pointed me to one.

Mr Smyth: No 890.

MR SPEAKER: Please repeat the question, Mr Hargreaves.

Mr Hargreaves: I said, "Can the minister advise the Assembly about proactive programs that the government has in place or is working on that are designed to assist business in the ACT?"

MR SPEAKER: I think that that is okay.

Mrs Dunne: Speaking to the point of order: I would have thought that asking the Treasurer to talk about programs that the government is working on would be seeking an announcement on government policy.

MR SPEAKER: If they are already working on the programs, the policy is already in place. It is not about the announcement of a policy; it is about administrative work that is going on within the agency.

Mrs Dunne: So don't tell us anything we don't already know.

MR QUINLAN: That probably still leaves me with a lot of room to move, Mrs Dunne.

In relation to the economic white paper, let me advise the house that the Leader of the Opposition has recycled a press release which says, "Where is it? We want it now."Without the economic white paper, apparently nothing can happen in the ACT. It is interesting that that is coming from the opposition, which did nothing in terms of long-term strategic thinking, whether it be spatial planning, social planning or economic planning.

Opposition members interjecting-

MR QUINLAN: The opposition does seem to be rather perturbed that the government is putting together a long-term strategy for the territory and is doing it through a process of extensive consultation involving all stakeholders. For some reason, these sorts of things that they never even thought of have to be delivered immediately.

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