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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (27 November) . . Page.. 4818 ..


Mrs Dunne: We haven't had the question yet.

MR STEFANIAK: Yes, I would suggest we get the question and then I will respond to your point of order, Mr Hargreaves.

MR SPEAKER: If you want to deal with a point of order you had better do it now.

MR STEFANIAK: All right. I would say in relation to that, Mr Speaker, that this question is seeking information that does not relate to the inquiry that is currently before the committee. That is what I am advised in relation to this particular question.

MR SPEAKER: We will go for the question.

MR STEFANIAK: You were also told at the briefing that another proposal is on the table as an alternative that included the possible direct grant to Aldi of the adjacent car park owned by the territory. My question is: is this information not contrary to your assertions in today's paper in relation to the position of the Belconnen markets? Will you now withdraw those comments and apologise to the owners of the markets for misrepresenting them?

MR SPEAKER: I cannot see that that would be interfering with the committee's work, so I will allow the question.

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, I cannot recall the detail of my discussion with the owners of the Belconnen markets. I will need to check my notes on that meeting-it was some time ago. But let us assume that what Mr Stefaniak has outlined is the case. Mr Speaker, no, not in any way have I misrepresented Belconnen markets' position.

The fact is that they have taken the territory to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, appealing a decision by the ACT Planning and Land Authority to refuse a development application for a supermarket on the site currently owned by the Belconnen markets at the Belconnen markets. They claim that a supermarket is an organic fresh food produce store. If other members in this place want to stand up and make the assertion that an Aldi supermarket is an organic fresh food produce store, go for your life but the ACT government and the ACT Planning and Land Authority do not accept that view and we are in the AAT about it at the moment. So in no way have I misrepresented the Belconnen markets' position and I am not, therefore, in any position to apologise.

But it is worth making the point that Mr Stefaniak seems to be advocating an approach that would establish a supermarket at the Belconnen markets which would have a very serious impact on one of the major shopping centres in his electorate, and that is Jamison. Why is Mr Stefaniak proposing to put in place an alternative retail centre when less than a kilometre away is the Jamison group centre which is designed to deliver the level of retailing, including a variety potentially of supermarkets? Why is he talking down the viability, why is he proposing to compromise the viability, of the Jamison group centre, because that is what he is doing? Really, it is quite-

Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: Mr Corbell is debating this, which is not allowed under standing order 118 (b). There was no reference to the Jamison shopping


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