Page 2355 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 1 November 1989

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Well, I think the committee made it fairly clear in its deliberations that it had looked very closely into all environmental issues relating to this development. Once again I take umbrage at that. The release continues:

It is a sell-out on sound environmental principles by the committee.

I think nothing could be further from the truth. These matters were examined at length by all members of the committee and these matters were taken into consideration completely. It goes on:

The inner-city residents have also been sold out by the Committee's call for parking restrictions but without any guidelines on what these restrictions should be. This leaves the Government free to decide for itself on the methods of turning the streets into parking lots.

Once again, I think this is frankly unfactual information. It is disinformation. The media release continues:

Mr Moore said that the Committee's shaky grasp on the real issues were amply demonstrated by the publication today of further National Capital Plan Draft, Volume 2.

The bit that I found particularly annoying was this:

"What we are being given ... is a choice between a building which will never be fully occupied or one that will add substantially to the environmental problems in Civic. Either way, the Committee has put the seal of approval on a potential environmental business and planning disaster", Mr Moore said.

Once again, anyone who has taken the time to read the committee's report will see that all those issues have been addressed. The media release is also unfactual when it maintains that the only way that office space in that building could possibly be filled is by means of public servants. That is simply a downright untruth. We all know the current market situation for office accommodation in Civic. As a matter of fact, it was highlighted in the paper earlier this week. There is absolutely no doubt that private enterprise will snap up the prime office location in that spot. I am raising these issues and reading extracts from Mr Moore's media release into the record to show just how biased and unfactual his release is.

The implication is that the committee members have not been independent in their deliberations, and I would urge all members of this Assembly to support my motion expressing confidence in the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee, as indeed by inference we should be expressing confidence in the independence of all standing committees and select committees of this Assembly.


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