Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 5006 ..

MRS BURKE (continuing):

Minister, why did you promise so much but deliver nothing tangible? Why did you fail to do what you said you would do?

MR QUINLAN: Beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, and I would not expect-for five minutes or for two minutes-that the opposition would find anything but wrong in the economic white paper. We will be debating it later today. Let me say, it has been roundly accepted and has had very good press and a very good reception.

MRS BURKE: I thank the minister for his answer. But when will you actually commit yourself to implementation plans and targets as you promised?

MR QUINLAN: The plan itself is a commitment, but it is a plan-it is a long-term document. I know that that is a difficult concept for you guys to get your heads around, but it is a long-term, strategic directional document. Nothing like it existed in the six years of the previous government. There was an appalling lack of strategy. The performance of the previous government was hip shot event after hip shot. And, when a strategic plan is put together, you cannot even see it.

Tourist brochure

MRS CROSS: My question is to the minister for tourism, Mr Quinlan. Minister, recently I was informed that there was a promotional brochure developed by your department which was of such a low standard that it needed to be withdrawn and destroyed. Following this, there was a need to re-do this publication. As we know, this is an expensive process. Minister, is it true that a promotional brochure had to be destroyed due to the fact that it contained many mistakes?

MR QUINLAN: Not that I know of, but it certainly is a matter that I can follow up for you.

MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Cross?

MRS CROSS: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Can you also advise the Assembly, Minister, how much the brochure cost the people of Canberra, firstly, to publish; then, destroy; then republish? What process has been taken to ensure that this waste does not happen again in this area?

MR QUINLAN: I will advise on the numerical side of that, but we are employing human beings and there will be mistakes from time to time. Let's give a little bit of tolerance to people that, I think, have done a cracker job in the last year or so.

Mrs Cross: So you will take that on notice, then?

MR QUINLAN: Yes.

Land sales

MR CORNWELL: My question is to the Minister for Planning, Mr Corbell. It relates to the government's land venture-gamble, perhaps-at Wells Station and Dunlop. Minister, in the policy lead-up to the 2001 election you spoke of a focus on affordability

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .