Page 262 - Week 01 - Thursday, 9 December 2004
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Dragway
MR STEFANIAK: My question is to the minister for sport and recreation. Mr Stanhope, obviously, will take it to day, but he should know something about it. Minister, in the ACT election you and the minister for sport promised a dragway within 18 months. What concrete steps have you taken to achieve this purpose to date?
MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Mr Stefaniak, for the question. The government is committed to a dragway in the Australian Capital Territory. It is an issue that has been much discussed over many years.
The steps that the government has taken since the election have been concrete, very direct and quite vigorous. I have given a direction to the head of the Chief Minister’s Department, Mr Mike Harris, that it is my and the government’s expectation that every effort is to be made to ensure that the undertaking that the government gave prior to the election is honoured. To that extent, it is our intention—and the direction is explicit—that everything that needs to be done to achieve the establishment of the dragway be done.
Sites under investigation are in the Majura Valley. There is a range of issues, some of which are outside the control of the ACT government, in relation to the availability of those particular sites. They are block 51 or block 52. Each of the sites represents a range of issues that need to be addressed, one being that one of those blocks is half-owned by the commonwealth.
I met with the minister for territories, Mr Jim Lloyd, a week ago. One of the issues on the agenda was cooperation by the commonwealth in relation to the ACT government’s determination to meet its commitment to develop a dragway in the Majura Valley. I asked Mr Lloyd for his personal support and his support as minister for territories to ensure a level of cooperation with the commonwealth, commonwealth authorities and instrumentalities in relation to issues around land and the availability of land in the Majura Valley for the construction of a dragway.
I was very pleased with the extremely positive response that I received from Mr Lloyd in relation to that particular issue. He undertook to work with me and the ACT government. He undertook to facilitate, through his office, contact and the provision of assistance in relation to issues where the commonwealth has a role and an involvement.
As a result of directions that I have given to the head of the Chief Minister’s Department, the Chief Minister’s Department has formally directed the head of the implementation of major projects group within the Chief Minister’s Department, a group which has just recently been created, to take formal responsibility for the dragway project. The project will be driven through the Chief Minister’s Department by Mr George Tomlins.
I met yesterday with Mr George Tomlins to discuss process and progress in relation to the government’s determination to build a dragway in the Majura Valley. I have enormous faith in the abilities of my department; those of my chief executive, who is very clear about the direction he has been given; and Mr George Tomlins, who is the
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