Page 1523 - Week 05 - Thursday, 7 April 2005
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Territory Owned Corporations Act 1990, the Managing Director of Actew Corporation or the Chairman of Actew that party political commentary by an employee of an ACT government corporation does not meet the standards of behaviour required by ACT public servants?
MR STANHOPE: I have no issues with Mr Costello’s out of work activities.
MR MULCAHY: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Has the Managing Director of Actew ever used government property or equipment to monitor proceedings in the federal parliament or to write his articles for the Australian?
MR STANHOPE: Actew is an independent statutory corporation. I do not oversight, nor would any government, the operations of a chief executive of a statutory corporation.
Dragway
MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. It relates to his election commitment to build a dragway within 18 months. As you are aware, Chief Minister, in the 2004-05 budget there is a total of $8 million allocated to construct a dragway in the ACT. Can you advise the Assembly how much of that $8 million has been expended to date? Are you on track to have the dragway built by May 2006—the date that would mark the end of the 18-month period in which you promised a dragway would be built?
MR STANHOPE: Thank you for the question. I am not aware that any of the $8 million has been expended yet. I am satisfied with the progress being made in relation to the dragway. As I have indicated previously to the Assembly, significant work has been done since the election last year in relation to this. It is one of the issues the ACT government has directed that priority be given to by the ACT public service.
As I have said previously in this place, the matter is being handled through a strategic projects unit that was established in the Chief Minister’s Department specifically to take charge of and responsibility for issues such as this. They have been very active since its constitution. This is one of the major tasks they are currently dealing with.
They have instituted and are engaged in continuing investigations in relation to the appropriateness of a site in the Majura Valley—the availability of the site; the legal steps that need to be pursued in relation to the obtaining of that land; issues in relation to the extent to which the use of that particular site would be compliant with our environmental obligations and legislation; and are consulting with all of those stakeholders quite regularly, as I understand it, as well as the residents who have a direct stake in the possibility of the dragway being constructed in the Majura Valley. This is a significant undertaking; there are significant issues involved around it. Yes, I am more than happy with progress. The money is there to be spent and it is our intention to do so.
MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Are there currently any delays in the construction of the dragway? If so, what are they? Do you still stand by your election commitment to construct the dragway within 18 months?
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .