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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 01 Hansard (Wednesday, 11 February 2004) . . Page.. 240 ..

question. Is it possible that he and his coalition party mate, Mr Anderson, simply want to prevent the ACT government from delivering us a jail? Could it be that they are simply trying to make the ACT opposition leader look good? That is a big ask, if you want my opinion, Mr Deputy Speaker.

Could it be that something else is cooking at the airport? I have mentioned in previous speeches in this place that there are clear national regulations regarding aircraft noise. In fact, to be a little more specific about that, the airports standard is based on the ANEF system. People can find out about that on the web, if they wish. I am happy to help them out later.

I am aware that the managing director of the airport, Mr Byron, told the Federal Court recently that a development near the airport, referring to the Tralee development, would have no impact on the operations or economics of the airport. You have to ask yourself: if they have said that it will not have one there, what is the story with the prison?

I am speculating that there are two other possibilities. Perhaps Canberra airport wants the land for more commercial, office and retail expansion. I have made known clearly my views about having a privately owned town centre and I have said before in the chamber that the airport’s commercial development is competing unfairly with Civic and other town centres, especially Tuggeranong. In my view, what is happening at the airport is nothing short of a scandal.

The other possibility is that the airport has a secret plan for another runway. (Extension of time granted.) Clearly, the Commonwealth ministers, particularly the minister for transport and ersatz minister for corrections, are privy to the secret plan. I think that it is time they all came clean and shared the truth with us. The Commonwealth ministers’ position makes no sense in terms of the airport’s current operation, so what is there to hide? Why is it that in January, all of a sudden, we find that things are just too hard for the federal government.

Mr Smyth came out and said that we should not have a prison at a particular site in Hume. We differ on that, but that is fine because I am about jobs and I do not know what he is about. I urge members to support the motion.

MS TUCKER (5.31): This motion is a response to the ACT government’s frustration at having negotiations with the federal government over a land release come dwindling to nothing over months and months. Based on what I have been told and the correspondence I have seen, it does seem that the negotiations with federal ministers have been less than satisfactory.

I am supporting the motion in spirit. This is not the first situation in which we have seen the federal government treat the people of the ACT with contempt over land releases. The NCA too has been less than helpful. In fact, the airport and the NCA have completely disregarded any concern for the planning interests of the ACT over quite some time.

Whilst the Commonwealth government and the NCA must have Commonwealth interests in mind, there is nothing to say that this means completely disregarding state and territory interests. The development of commercial activity in Gungahlin has

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