Page 4564 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 19 October 2010
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do not have a proposition at the moment as to how we might address this differently, but I would certainly welcome discussion with members as to how we might avoid such a situation in future. At the end of the day, it is an unsatisfactory outcome for the people of the ACT and the judicial system in the ACT.
Having been at all of the briefings, I think, with Mrs Dunne on the matter, I do not entirely agree with her recollection of events. Certainly, the suggestion to pursue Mr Cahill into retirement was not a conclusion that I would draw. I recall those discussions with Mrs Dunne and Mr Corbell. At the time we identified very quickly that the impending retirement of Mr Cahill would potentially create a difficult situation. There was a discussion as to whether we should change the legislation to enable the judicial commission to continue. I certainly took it on board to discuss that with my colleagues as well. I did so on the basis not of pursuing Mr Cahill into retirement but of knowing right back then that we were facing the prospect of an unsatisfactory outcome. The matter would be left hanging in the air, justice would not be served and justice would not be seen to be served.
I stand up in this place and say that the Greens were willing to consider a change to the legislation. But I want to be very clear about our motivations for that. It was to avoid the situation that we now find ourselves in. To conclude, I simply observe that, again, we find ourselves in a very unfortunate situation. I suspect it is unresolvable at this point because of the current law, but we should all turn our minds to how, if such a situation were to arise again in future, we might find a way to achieve a better outcome for all of those involved.
Planning—building quality
Statement by minister
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Minister for Gaming and Racing) (10.58): Pursuant to the resolution of the Assembly of 1 July 2010, I present the following paper:
Building Quality in the ACT—Report to the ACT Legislative Assembly, dated September 2010.
This report was circulated to members when the Assembly was not sitting. I move:
That the Assembly take note of the paper.
In July this year the Assembly agreed to a motion that called for the government to provide a detailed report on building quality issues in the ACT, particularly those related to residential building standards and building certification. In response, I convened the building quality forum to consult with a diverse range of interests on problems occurring and possible solutions to improve building quality where needed.
The forum brought together unit owners, strata managers and representatives of building industry associations. It also included unions, the insurance, legal, adjudication and training sectors, as well as officers from the ACT Planning and Land Authority and the Office of Regulatory Services.
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