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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 01 Hansard (Tuesday, 10 February 2004) . . Page.. 12 ..

some of those 3,000 people, to let them know what had happened as a result of their signing the petition.

I put together a brochure in my office and it was circulated. I think there were about 200 copies. Some of the stall holders at the markets came to me and we were discussing the issue. They asked to take away some of the brochures, which they kept on their counters. After I had left, I presume that they continued to circulate those. I understand that Ms Dundas, for instance, obtained one quite close to Christmas, so they were still circulating some time later.

For the information of members, the intention was simply to inform some of the people who had signed petitions in a small way about what was happening, so that they could keep their interest going in an issue that was before the committee. I put this pamphlet together in my capacity as the member for Ginninderra. As a candidate in two elections in the electorate of Ginninderra, I have been on the public record since 1997 as being in favour of the building of Aldi supermarkets, because of the impact that it will have on competition. I have also been on the public record for some time in favour of the building of an Aldi supermarket at the Belconnen markets.

So I put together a brochure that says, “This is what the government thinks and this is what I think. You people have signed a petition and, as a result of this, this is happening.” Here, I made a mistake and this is the mistake for which, when it was drawn to my attention, I immediately went to the Planning and Environment Committee and apologised. First of all, I apologised and I offered to withdraw from the inquiry, because it was put to me that, by saying as I did, “As a result, the Planning and Environment Committee, which I chair, is holding an inquiry”, I had crossed the border between being the member for Ginninderra and the chair of the Planning and Environment Committee, and confused those roles. I do not deny the fact that, in doing so, I confused those roles.

When it was drawn to my attention that that is what I had done, I apologised to the members of the committee and we set about a process of ensuring that no harm was done to the committee process. I did not put up a fight and say, “No, this is all nonsense. I immediately admitted my mistake and I do that freely and unequivocally here. I made a mistake. There was no intention to interfere in any way with the proceedings of the Planning and Environment Committee, and there was no intention to interfere with the workings of this Assembly. As a mark of that, I took what steps I could immediately it was drawn to my attention. The fruition of that is the motion that will be moved later in the day.

As I have done to my colleagues on the Planning and Environment Committee, I apologise to the members of this place now unequivocally for that blurring of the distinction. However, I will say in my defence that it is, as Mr Smyth said, a very difficult thing to do to wear the number of hats that we do in this 17-member Assembly. I am the member for Ginninderra first and foremost. I represent my constituents and I try to carry out their will. There is clearly a wish in the community that such a supermarket should come to the Belconnen markets and I support the community in that, and I have been public in doing so.

The intention, as I said before, was to inform people whom I otherwise could not contact conveniently. I do not think that it would be reasonable for us, as the Planning and

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