Page 1900 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 25 June 2008
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information, but the remainder of the document should have been closely scrutinised to ascertain whether the public interest in having a better understanding of the process outweighed the public interest in protecting public servants and ministers from having their work scrutinised in the public arena.
Mr Speaker, I am not sure that I am going to have enough time to address all the points in the motion. I want to seek leave to move the amendments which will shortly be circulated in my name. I would like to speak to those amendments and, if I have time, I will come back to the motion.
MR SPEAKER: There are two amendments, are there?
DR FOSKEY: Yes. I seek leave to move them together.
Leave granted.
DR FOSKEY: I move:
(1) omit “That this Assembly no longer has confidence in the Chief Minister due to his”, substitute “that this Assembly censures the Chief Minister for his”; and
(2) add:
“(5) (a) failure to assure the Canberra community that a full and independent analysis of the health and environmental impacts of the data centre and power station would be conducted; and
(b) out of hand rejection of an environmental impact statement of this proposal.”.
Perhaps one of the most disturbing aspects of this debacle of a process is that the good news of the proposal has been as uninvestigated as its health and side effects. Since the PA was first lodged, the Greens have been calling for an EIS. The day before yesterday, we were told that a requirement to produce an EIS would mean the end of the project—it would take too long. The outgoing chief executive of ActewAGL dismissed the call of the Greens and the community for an independent, thorough EIS as though it does not matter. His mind has already moved to the next iteration of the gas-fired power plant at Williamsdale, where he hopes that the problem of neighbours has been solved.
MR SPEAKER: The member’s time has expired.
DR FOSKEY: I have agreement to have 20 minutes.
MR SPEAKER: You will need leave of the Assembly.
DR FOSKEY: I seek leave for an extension of time.
Leave granted.
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