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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 10 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 3508 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

He did not want to try. He decided he did not have to try. He should have taken note of what the Assembly told him-that he should negotiate on these blocks.

It does not say there should be a positive outcome, although I think we all want a positive outcome; it does not specify a price; it does not say what else you might throw in as a sweetener-we all know that happens when these things occur-but it does say that you should negotiate. The minister said he is not responsible to anyone. The minister must understand that he is responsible to the Assembly and, through us, to the people of the ACT.

I have had reports of the rallies that occurred on that site and of a constant stream of cars driving past with signs saying, "Honk if you want to save the trees!"There were actions like that. You could hear it in the background on the news reports, and see it in the coverage in the paper and on TV-and there were discussions on the radio.

We had a decision of a former government. Governments and parties change their minds-we all do. We could talk about continuous registration from the Labor Party who, in opposition, thought it was a terrible, evil thing-along with speed cameras and several other initiatives of the previous government. They were going to change things. They were going to fix things.

This minister, as soon as he was the Minister for Planning-if he was the Minister for Planning-was going to issue the dragway lease. How interesting it is when you get to government! However, when we went to this motion, once more information became available, and as community opinion became more and more apparent, it was a question of whether members listened.

We have listened. The members of the Liberal Party listened to what the residents of Belconnen had to say. In turn, the Green member, the Democrat member and the independent member have also listened to what the people of Belconnen had to say, because they supported the motion of 27 August which simply called for negotiation. They did not expect the arrogant response of the minister in the paper the next morning.

I do not think any of us expected the arrogant response of the minister today when he said, "No, I have not-and I have no intention of doing it."That is why the minister should be censured. He should be censured for his attitude. He should be censured for the arrogance displayed in what he says and does. He should be censured because he seeks to put the executive above the Assembly. That is not how it is meant to be. The minister should be strongly reminded that, if he does not negotiate, we will come back to this issue.

Mr Speaker, I put it to you that the Minister for Planning is deserving of a censure on this matter. It is a fundamental tenet-a basic tenet. It is about who is in control. The Assembly creates a Chief Minister and the Chief Minister then creates his government. The Assembly empowers the Chief Minister to carry out his or her programs through the budget process and the appropriation bills. It is this Assembly that will, every now and then, ask the government to do something and expect it to be done.

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