Page 2611 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 25 September 2007
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list, of stakeholders. They will have direct contact by the consultants. There will be regional consultation processes, the first of which was held last night. Interestingly, Mr Speaker, it was held in Wanniassa last night. Mr Pratt would know because he was there. In fact, there were 30 people there. There were 30 people there. There are 101,000 or 110,000 people—somewhere around there—
Mr Pratt: There were more than 30 people there.
MR HARGREAVES: There were more than 30 people. Well, Mr Speaker, we know about Mr Pratt’s ability to count, but my information was that it was 30-odd. It shows, in fact, that people are more interested in the site-specific consultation process—
Mr Pratt: I’d know better than you, John, because you weren’t there.
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Pratt!
MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, I'll go back again, and I’ll keep going back until Mr Pratt stops raving. Mr Speaker, the first consultation process will be contact with a significant list of stakeholders. The second consultation process will be on regional-specific schools, and the third process will be on site-specific processes.
I know that those opposite would like us to do this; they would like us to say that those particular meetings are the decision-making part of the process. That is what they would like to have us believe.
Mrs Burke: You’ve said that.
MR HARGREAVES: Not so. Mr Speaker, these are about site-specific information sessions and for the community to tell us what it is they want.
Now what has happened—and we have only had the one meeting yet—is that it is becoming a little obvious so far that there are two groups of people: those people who refuse to acknowledge that the schools are closed and want to re-litigate this, and others who really want to say, “What use can we, the community, make of the surplus school sites?” Those people are saying, “We have a community need for accommodation which is not being addressed at the moment because there is a shortage of it, and we see opportunities to serve the community.” That is what they are saying. So, Mr Speaker, this consultation process will continue.
What is also important is that the community out there have some certainty about the way forward and they can actually move forward. My sense is that, with the exception of a few organisations, most of the community has moved on from the school closures and now want to look forward, and indeed we intend to facilitate that.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Dr Foskey?
DR FOSKEY: Minister, what influence did the ACT government’s processes have on the shortened notification time announcing these workshops?
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