Page 4632 - Week 12 - Thursday, 15 October 2009

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As I said this morning, the Greens are at a place where we want to gather more information. We think there are questions to be asked about the significant cost increases in the Cotter Dam project. I think it does sit upon us as members of this place to take responsibility to work out whether there is a prima facie case before we necessarily establish a committee which will require significant resources, because whatever committee is set up is to some extent going to have to buy in some expertise. So I think we need to be very certain that that inquiry is necessary.

At this stage, as I said this morning, the Greens are not excluding the prospect of an inquiry but I think we do want to go down that pathway first of all of looking at the information that is available. I look forward to receiving the level of information that will enable us to undertake a detailed examination. As I say, we will be accepting Mr Corbell’s amendment to my amendment.

Question put:

That Mr Corbell’s amendment to Mr Rattenbury’s proposed amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Le Couteur): The question now is that Mr Rattenbury’s amendment, as amended, be agreed to.

MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (5.49): I think what we have got today is a little better than nothing. It is hard to tell and only time will tell. But I would put on record our disappointment at the fact that the Assembly today has not deemed it necessary to have an inquiry. I do reflect on some of the things we have inquired into in this place. Whether or not posters should be able to be legally stuck up around town has been deemed worthy of an inquiry by this place. Bill posting has had an inquiry. But an investigation into, at the moment, a $363 million project to deliver water security hopefully for the ACT is not deemed by this Assembly as worthy of investigation.

I think we will be back on this. The reality is that it is inevitable that we will have to inquire deeply, properly and thoroughly into this. The combination of the Greens and Labor has prevented that from happening today. We will get a few documents, many of which are on the public record at the moment, and I would say to the Greens that we need to move past a situation where we accept at face value everything the government tell us. That is what we should do as a legislature: test their assertions,

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