Page 1883 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
In his motion of no confidence the Leader of the Opposition makes four claims, each without merit or foundation. He alleges, firstly, that I gave inconsistent testimony and misled the estimates committee and the Assembly. He alleges that I mismanaged the process associated with the data centre and subsequently jeopardised a billion dollar investment. He accuses me of selectively releasing material to the media and withholding material from the Assembly, and he says I failed to consult sufficiently with residents, by which I can only assume he means that I failed to consult with him personally. These claims are not only demonstrably false, but offensive and motivated by malice and desperation. I will demolish the grounds in a moment.
First, I would like the Assembly’s indulgence to talk for a moment about what is really going on here today and what is really at stake. The data centre is an outstanding investment opportunity for the territory. If it proceeds, if the best efforts of the Liberals to derail it fail and if it meets the planning hurdles, it will be the largest single private sector investment in this town. It epitomises Labor’s determination to diversify the economy, to attract external investment and to create quality, highly skilled jobs for Canberrans. This is a high-tech, green development that would dovetail perfectly with our knowledge economy, our growing green credentials and our expertise in servicing the needs of major government instrumentalities. It would bring hundreds of skilled jobs to the territory. It would enhance our reputation as a destination for big, high-tech investments. It is a project that has the support of the Canberra Business Council, the Property Council, and the ACT and Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Liberals protest that they actually really, truly—cross their hearts—support this project. Why then, one might legitimately ask, are they out there doing their best not just to kill off this particular billion-dollar investment in the territory economy but also to scare off anyone else who might have been tempted to invest in our town in the future? Like me, the local business community is bewildered. It is more than bewildered, in fact; it is anxious and it is angry. Its anxiety and its anger go to the possibility that this project may still be lost to the territory through fear mongering, delays and the clear message the Liberals are sending that investment in this town is not welcome and will not be given a fair hearing.
Make no mistake: that is exactly the message that the Liberal Party is sending. The Liberal Party is telling potential investors loud and clear, “Your proposal will not be considered on its merits, because, under a Liberal regime, we would abort the merit process at our pleasure and at our discretion. Your proposal will not be accorded procedural fairness, because we will let ministers intervene at the first sign of community agitation, whatever the rational basis for that agitation.”
I will turn now to specific allegations made by the Leader of the Opposition. The first is that I have given inconsistent testimony and misled both the estimates committee and the Assembly. I regret to suggest that this particular accusation says much more about the Leader of the Opposition’s inexperience than about anything else. He does not understand the processes involved in and the processes that distinguish site identification and site selection. He does not grasp the statutory arm’s length development approval processes we in the ACT follow—processes we follow precisely because they keep politicians at one removed from the approval process.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .