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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 7 Hansard (17 October) . . Page.. 1725 ..
Ms McRae: Do the jobs at the tip not matter?
MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Speaker, if Ms McRae would like to keep her mouth zipped up and listen, she might learn something. In answer to Ms Horodny's question - - -
MR SPEAKER: Order! Ms Horodny has been attempting to get an answer for some time. It is not helped by the assistance of other members of the Assembly. Continue, Minister.
MR DE DOMENICO: Mr Speaker, the Government will continue to look at every opportunity available to it in order to increase employment in the ACT. That is point one, Ms Horodny. Should this small business or any small business feel that they have been hard done by, as I said, the Government's door is always open for them to come and see us. At this stage, Ms Horodny, I might say that I have not heard from that business. I would be delighted to talk to them if they want to come and see me, and I will see what we can do to help.
MR WOOD: My question is to the Minister for Sport, Mr Stefaniak. Can the Minister explain what consultative process was undertaken before the fees for swimming pools were so unreasonably raised? Did the parties who were consulted agree to the increases?
Ms McRae: It is under "S", Mr Stefaniak.
Mr Wood: There is a hazard in looking up the brief. The brief does not answer the question.
MR STEFANIAK: It does, Mr Wood, surprisingly enough. The consultation process in relation to this, Mr Wood, in line with the - - -
Mr De Domenico: Was it the same consultation process as the Labor Party caucus had this morning?
MR STEFANIAK: I might come to that when Mr Connolly asks me a question, Mr De Domenico. Unlike the previous Government, we do believe in consultation and do lots of it. In line with normal practice, too, the Government did commence reviewing its fees and charges schedule in April this year and, as a result, a number of increases to fees and charges were made. We need to realise that the net cost to government in 1994-95 for operating government swimming pools at Erindale, Tuggeranong and Civic was over $1.7m. There was therefore an obvious need to properly review the fees.
The bureau contacted a large number of swimming facilities in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia to compare fees at similar facilities interstate as a yardstick for our own. In addition, the bureau also conducted very lengthy negotiations with the major pool users, including ACT Swimming Inc. The bureau also looked at the internal consistency of the existing table of fees and charges and used the opportunity to correct
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