Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 1 Hansard (21 February) . . Page.. 107 ..

MRS CARNELL: The Government's position is the same as the Assembly's position, as it hopefully will always be when a decision is made on the floor of this house, and that is that this issue will go to the Legal Affairs Committee. It is my position quite strongly, as I said in the house yesterday and as I have said on the media today, that legal fees for Human Rights Commission-type proceedings should not be paid by government. As in all circumstances, when this Assembly makes a decision, if it makes a decision down a different course, then I will go along with that. My position is quite strong.

MR BERRY: I have a supplementary question. It is true, then, Mrs Carnell, that great pressure has been brought to bear on you to ensure that you change your mind and you get a decision which ensures that Mr De Domenico's fees are paid? It is also true, then, that you are trying to weasel word your way out of your decision when you said that the Government will not pay, the taxpayer will not pay.

Mr De Domenico: What about your fees? Are you going to give them back?

MR BERRY: The difference is, Mr De Domenico, that we never said that; you said it.

MRS CARNELL: I am interested that Mr Berry is quite willing to go against a decision that was made yesterday on the floor of this house. We will not be doing that. I have made it quite clear - - -

Mr Berry: What about relevance, Mr Speaker? The question was about Mrs Carnell's weasel words and the way she is trying to weasel her way out of her decision that the taxpayer would not pay.

MRS CARNELL: I have made it extremely clear what my position on this is. Other members of this Assembly have suggested that that approach may not have been appropriate. Taking that into account, I am more than willing, as was this Assembly as a whole, to refer this issue to an Assembly committee. On that Assembly committee we have a member of the Opposition, Ms Follett, as it turns out now; we have a member of the crossbenches, Mr Osborne; and we have a member of the Government, Trevor Kaine. That would seem to me to be a very fair, equitable sort of approach. Whatever that committee recommends I will go along with - it is that simple - as would be the case in most other circumstances along these lines.

MS HORODNY: My question is to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning, Mr Humphries. Yesterday, Minister, in your reply to my question on the sale of the Conder shops, you stated that you had done everything you could within the available gears and levers to ensure the best outcome for Tuggeranong. It appears that land will soon be made available by auction in Manuka for an expansion of retail space there. As the Minister no doubt knows, Woolworths is very interested in that site as well and, as the Minister should be aware, three-quarters of the retail trade in the ACT is conducted by Coles, Woolworths and Franklins. When will the Government finish its many studies

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .