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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 01 Hansard (Wednesday, 11 February 2004) . . Page.. 239 ..

future impact that low flying aircraft and associated noise levels may have on the land-use and airport operations.

The block of land that was being talked about was nowhere near a flight path, we thought. And then he said:

I have written to the Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and Administration and Minister for Defence advising my view that should Canberra Airport not wish to acquire all the identified surplus Defence land, I will want to ensure that the Australian Government’s long-term interests in protecting the land adjoining Canberra Airport from incompatible development...

Here we go again! He is advising them of his view should Canberra airport not wish to acquire it. In other words, the ACT government can have surplus Defence land if the Canberra airport does not want it. Why do you think that the Canberra airport might want it? It is because they are trying to have a privately owned town centre.

I signal my agreement to an amendment to this motion that Ms Tucker is going to move because I think her amendment expresses my view a little bit better. I am concerned that we are seeing the interests of a private group having precedent over what I consider to be ACT sovereignty. If the Commonwealth government does not need the land and it is surplus to requirements, it should be handed over to the ACT.

I understand that the money-grabbing bunch up there need every cent that they can get to pay for advertising campaigns to try to save their skin. They could at least let us contribute to that by selling us the block of land, but all they are doing is hanging off. I wonder what involvement the local Liberal Party has in this regard.

I have complained before in this place about the emergence of a privately owned town centre at the airport. I consider growth out there to be quite appropriate if it is connected with aviation industries. It is not appropriate for anything else. In fact, anything else would work to the detriment of other town centres. I am sick and tired of Tuggeranong being treated as dormitory suburbs, whereas somebody can privately build their own town centre out there on the side of the airport.

Let me turn to the specific involvement of the federal ministers. Initially, the Defence Minister, Senator Hill was very helpful. Clearly, he had not been got at by then. I do not think that the owner of the airport had actually rung him up. Senator Hill wrote to the Chief Minister early in November saying that he had agreed to it in principle. That might have allowed the ACT to do something. Wrong!

There must have been a lot of talking at Christmas parties, I would say, because suddenly, in mid-January, bang, in came the Deputy Prime Minister, stomping all over the place in his big agricultural boots. Mr Anderson advised the ACT government on 18 January that there were more difficulties. I have indicated that his biggest difficulty was that we might put a correctional facility there. As I said, he went on to say that, should the Canberra airport not wish to acquire it, he would consider something else.

Mr Deputy Speaker, there is another agenda; there has to be another agenda. The owner of the airport, Mr Snow, is a prominent Liberal. I understand that recently he received special recognition for his fundraising efforts for the party. I will just ask a rhetorical

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