Page 1357 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 12 May 2021

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Questions without notice

Government—business support

MS LEE: My question is to the minister for business. Minister, I refer to a recent Canberra Times article stating that car-sharing company GoGet has closed in Canberra, removing its 27 cars, saying it was quitting the ACT to focus on “growing markets”. The 2016 deal that brought GoGet to Canberra was part of the Labor-Greens power sharing agreement in 2012, with the government setting aside 22 car parks in Civic, Russell and Dickson for the company.

The news follows the Liberals’ call for the government to set up a small business ministerial advisory council, which you opposed, saying it would be time-consuming and a burden on small business. Minister, what financial support or subsidies, if any, did the government give GoGet to establish and operate in Canberra?

MS CHEYNE: First of all, I might need to remind the opposition leader of exactly what happened before lunch, which is that I have already made a personal explanation that I did not use those words. Perhaps the opposition might like to think about not repeating things that were never said.

I do not have detail about GoGet, and I will take that on notice.

MS LEE: Minister, when and how did you learn that GoGet was planning to shut up shop in the ACT? What help or assistance did the government provide?

MS CHEYNE: I learned it through the media.

MS CASTLEY: Minister, could a small business ministerial advisory council have helped GoGet by giving the company high-level access to government to be supported and continue operations?

MS CHEYNE: Businesses already have direct access to government through me as Minister for Business and Better Regulation.

Molonglo Valley—community facilities

MRS JONES: My question is to the Minister for Transport and City Services. Minister, as you are aware, currently there are not nearly enough community meeting facilities in the Molonglo Valley. At a recent meeting of the Molonglo Valley Community Forum you asked for feedback on which groups need to use such facilities. Meanwhile, in a spectacular failure of planning, there is a large empty community centre in the health building at Coombs which has never been fitted out or rented out for community use, which is what it was built for. The new Evelyn Scott school is not returning calls from the Molonglo Valley Community Forum to use their spaces. Are you able to build a large community facility to be owned by ACT Property Group to serve the community of the Molonglo Valley?


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