Page 1622 - Week 06 - Thursday, 7 June 2007

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MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change, Minister for the Arts) (5.58), in reply: Mr Speaker, I would like very much to thank everybody for their contribution to the debate and look forward to the debate in the detail stage.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to in principle.

Estimates 2007-2008—Select Committee

Reference

That the Appropriation Bill 2007-2008 be referred to the Select Committee on Estimates 2007-2008.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

At 6.00 pm, in accordance with standing order 34, the motion for the adjournment of the Assembly was put and negatived.

Sitting suspended from 6.00 to 7.30 pm.

Water Resources Bill 2007

Debate resumed from 3 May 2007, on motion by Mr Stanhope:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra—Leader of the Opposition) (7.30): Mr Speaker, the opposition will be supporting the Water Resources Bill, which implements a number of key measures. The first is the consolidation of 32 subcatchments into 13 catchment management areas. On that, I congratulate the people involved. Whilst initially we had some concerns that the records, which go back 50 to 60 years, in terms of water flows, et cetera, might be lost, the actual division has been done very well. Unlike the partition of Africa in the 19th and early 20th centuries, which the colonial powers divided using artificial boundaries, disregarding all the tribal areas, resulting in a lot of the trouble we see today, this division has been done logically. All the subcatchment areas have been included within the management areas. In some instances you might have one and in other instances you might have two or three, but they have been totally included within the management areas, so all that data can then be used. It is quite logical when you look at a map of the rivers and creeks in terms of the management areas. I see that as a very sensible step and I pay compliment to whoever did it.

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