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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 09 Hansard (Wednesday, 18 August 2004) . . Page.. 3848 ..

Gungahlin Drive. Mrs Dunne and I received a letter from the Friends of Aranda Bushland which is somewhat related to the question that Ms Tucker just asked. Officers in my department and I believe that we can respond substantially to the questions that were asked by the Friends of Aranda Bushland. We think that those questions can be comfortably accommodated.

A question was asked about the replacement of soil, or using only local soil. I do not know whether that means that another hole will have to be dug somewhere. The letter, which I believe to be genuine, sought to ensure that, so far as possible, the verges in that area are returned to the condition in which they were, bearing in mind that a road is going through the area. The government is keen to ensure, so far as it is possible, that that is what will happen.

Child protection

MR CORNWELL: My question is directed to the Minister for Children, Youth and Family Support. Minister, yesterday you told the Assembly:

I do not believe that the Chief Minister advised on Friday that it was because of failings in child protection that Ms Hinton’s contract was not being renewed.

That contradicts what the Chief Minister said when he announced the decision. I quote his words:

I can’t pretend the decision I’ve made today isn’t related to the issues raised, which found major failings within the system. I do believe there is a need for the community to have absolute confidence that children are receiving care from a system that is world’s best practice.

Minister, in the Canberra Times of 7 August 2004, you stated in relation to the Murray report:

For the first time, we saw the full extent of the impact of those system deficiencies on individual children and it was pretty devastating.

You continued:

It was a decision about the future—to reappoint her she would have needed the full confidence of Cabinet and that was just not the case.

Minister, why did you advise the Assembly yesterday that you did not believe that the decision on Ms Hinton’s future was caused by her failings in child protection when, obviously, you told the opposite to the Canberra Times—that Cabinet lacked confidence in Ms Hinton due to the devastating impact of the Murray report? Why did you provide advice yesterday that directly contradicted what the Chief Minister also told the Canberra Times?

MS GALLAGHER: My answer yesterday was correct. The decision not to reappoint Ms Hinton was about confidence in a chief executive appointment to be decided from 10 September for a number of years into the future. Both the Chief Minister and I commented that that chief executive position needed to have the full confidence of the

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