Page 489 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 June 1989

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Tuggeranong can be acquired at the rate of $200 to $220 a square metre.

With that in mind and given the necessity to relocate staff employed in my department upon the demolition of the North and South Buildings to make way for the Civic Square redevelopment, it will be necessary to relocate a significant proportion of staff. It would seem to be appropriate to pursue the Federal Government's policy, and indeed this Government's policy, of decentralisation and the - - -

Mrs Nolan: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker. I do not believe the Minister is answering my question.

MR SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, please be brief.

MR WHALAN: So there will be components of the ministry which will be relocated in Tuggeranong. I think it would be ideal if a substantial proportion of the ACT public service were able to be relocated to cheaper areas, and I thought that such a move would be applauded by members of the Opposition in view of the considerable financial benefits that can accrue in recurrent expenditure.

Residential Land at Isaacs

MS MAHER: Is the Minister for Housing and Urban Services aware that in the suburb of Isaacs there are some vacant government owned blocks which have not been sold due, among other things, to the fact that access roads are inadequate and that the blocks - for example, at Braim Place and Hughson Place - are becoming extensively eroded with all the topsoil being washed away and large gullies forming, leading to extensive pollution in Yarralumla Creek and the death of aquatic life in that waterway?. If so, what action is the Minister taking to correct this situation? If not, can she give an undertaking that this problem will be remedied on these and other similar government owned blocks throughout the Territory?

MRS GRASSBY: I thank the member for the question. Yes, I know about that. There has been a problem in Isaacs. The streets were designed in a narrow way to stop people speeding up and down them. Unfortunately, it was not thought at the time that the garbage trucks had to go in and out to pick up the garbage. Thus, the problem came about that they could get in but they could not turn around to come out. So what is happening is that a lot of those areas have to be changed. Those blocks could not be sold because this had to be fixed.

The fact is that all of this runoff from blocks is very serious. My department has been able to convince large building firms to take precautions when they are building so that they are not managing to have all this topsoil


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