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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 02 Hansard (Thursday, 4 March 2004) . . Page.. 751 ..

Minister, what arrangements are in place to manage and monitor the operations of the asbestos site at west Belconnen? Have there been any instances of people working at this site not being properly protected from asbestos? Have there been any instances of access being gained to this site by people and animals that are not meant to be there?

MR WOOD: The circumstances around the asbestos pit would be fairly stringent. I do not have the details of them, but I have every expectation that there would be strong conditions and work standards and commitments that would need to be met. Mr Pratt has raised a significant issue if they are not being met. I will seek a report from my officers on that matter and get back to him.

MR PRATT: Minister, have any complaints been made recently to WorkCover about the operations of this asbestos site and has WorkCover contacted your department about this issue?

MR WOOD: I will check with the minister responsible for WorkCover and advise you of any connection between those agencies.

Food, wine and arts festival

MS MacDONALD: My question is to the Chief Minister. Next weekend, Canberra will celebrate Taste, the annual food, wine and arts festival. Can you tell the Assembly what there is to look forward to over the weekend? How has the festival grown in scope and size?

MR STANHOPE: A very exciting program to celebrate Canberra and Canberra Day will commence this weekend with Taste, which will be the precursor or lead-in to a week of fantastic events and a very significant celebration for Canberra and Canberrans. I must say that I was very pleased to be able again this year to launch the triple festival which will be held in 2004, that is, the very successful Canberra Balloon Fiesta, which is now part and parcel of Taste, Taste itself and Shannons Wheels.

Taste has been significantly upgraded. Extra and, I think, quite significant support and resources have been applied to Taste. Taste is now a weekend festival. Shannons Wheels has been in place for more than a decade and is one of the more successful, perhaps most successful, and enduring motor sport events, if I might call it that, in the ACT. It will be held on the same site, that is, Reconciliation Place and Commonwealth Park on the southern edge of the lake.

I think that this year, through the combination and the coming together of the three separate festivals, namely, Shannons Wheels, the Canberra Balloon Fiesta and Taste, there will be an enormous opportunity for Canberrans to get out and have some fun, to enjoy Canberra and to enjoy the community intercourse and the community connection that are part and parcel of a very successful community, which is what Canberra is.

Autumn is here and next week is Canberra’s birthday. A number of events will be held next week, some of which will be particularly significant, such as the naming of the Canberra citizen of the year and the Canberra Day oration. This year Phil Chaney will deliver that oration. A number of other significant events will be hosted throughout the

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