Page 1373 - Week 04 - Thursday, 10 April 2008
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(3) The following officers attended the discussions. For the Cultural Facilities Corporation: Ms Harriet Elvin, Chief Executive Officer and Mr Peter Haynes, Director, ACT Museums and Galleries. For the Attorney General’s Department: Ms Kathy Smith, Assistant Director within the Territories and Native Title Division and Ms Fareesha O’Shea, Project Officer within the Territories and Native Title Division.
(4) Since the timing of discussions being finalised and a decision being made is a matter for the Commonwealth Government, an expected date is not known at this stage.
Transport—high speed rail
(Question No 1920)
Mr Mulcahy asked the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, upon notice, on 4 March 2008:
(1) Have any discussions been undertaken with neighbouring jurisdictions or any other parties in relation to the creation of a high speed rail link between Canberra and Sydney;
(2) Has the Government considered giving support to such a project; if so, what work has been done to determine the feasibility and the cost.
Mr Stanhope: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
1. The ACT, NSW and the Commonwealth Governments undertook an extensive investigation of high speed rail in the late 1990s following a proposal from the Speedrail Consortium. The Governments invited proposals from a number of consortia, which included Speedrail, the MagLev Consortium and manufacturers of tilt train technology. Although the ACT supported development of a high speed train, its construction depended on NSW and Commonwealth funding. The Commonwealth undertook its own evaluation in 2002 and determined that it was not prepared to fund this development.
The ACT Government has not received any specific proposals since this time and has not had any discussions with neighbouring jurisdictions.
2. The ACT Government has considered development of a very high speed train and continues to support its development, provided that any new proposal meets the requirements of the ACT, NSW and Commonwealth Governments. However, no further work has been undertaken since the late 1990s.
Prices—utilities
(Question No 1923)
Dr Foskey asked the Attorney-General, upon notice, on 4 March 2008:
To what extent does the ACT Government ensure that the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission takes social issues into account when preparing their reports on utilities pricing, especially water and electricity.
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