Page 1052 - Week 04 - Thursday, 18 June 1992
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MR LAMONT: They will be worth a fortune, particularly when those opposite are gone, Mr Stevenson. It was, to say the least, Mr Stevenson, a rocket of a night. It was extremely successful. I understand that the evening raised in excess of $22,000 and that has gone into a trust administered by the club on behalf of Mr Henry. I wish to say my personal thanks to all members of the Assembly for their contribution to this most appropriate occasion.
Tuggeranong BMX Club
MS ELLIS (4.41): I rise following the adjournment debate speech delivered a few minutes ago by Mr Tony De Domenico. There are a few points that I would like to take the opportunity to clarify for the sake of the record, as I believe that Mr De Domenico either may have received some misinformation or, in fact, was given some incorrect information. In regard to the BMX club in Wanniassa, the first I knew of the club having any problem at all in relation to its track was a fairly spectacular headline that appeared in the Valley View.
Mr Kaine: You are not in close touch with the community, are you?
MS ELLIS: Let me show you how close my contact is, Mr Kaine. The moment I saw that headline I was in touch with the club. They did not come to me on anybody's referral; I got in touch with them. I then interviewed them, at length, got all of the facts from them, and arranged a meeting, which was held on Monday of this week, with the two Ministers involved - Ministers Wood and Berry.
I am sure Mr Berry will not mind my reporting this part of the meeting. At that meeting his concern was expressed that in the short term the viability of the club at Wanniassa might be affected badly whilst the negotiations and the subsequent work for the new track were undertaken. At that time he offered to attempt to find a small amount of funds - the funds that were nominated were, in fact, nominated by the club - such as would be required to address the problems at the Wanniassa track.
At the end of that meeting the two representatives of the club and I continued to meet in my office. During that time they expressed to me the opinion that maybe, on reflection, it would not be worthwhile spending any money on Wanniassa; that the club members, particularly the juniors, were well and viably running, practising around the valley on 12 different sites that they had produced themselves. They considered that any money that the Government could lay its hands on in the meantime should be spent on the new club and not the old. At that time I suggested to them that they go off and put in writing a total update of their view and position on the situation.
They have done that and my understanding, as of 11 o'clock or 12 o'clock today, is that there is a submission from them waiting for me in my letterbox at home now, outlining their views on how to handle the Wanniassa track and their views on how to handle, in either one or two stages, both financial year based, the new move to the new site.
Mr De Domenico: To where? Where is the new site?
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