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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2610 ..
MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, following comments made by Mr Howard last night about the Sydney-Canberra high speed rail link and his enthusiasm for speeding up progress on the project, have you corrected the Prime Minister's apparent misperception that the New South Wales Government is delaying the project by pointing out, firstly, in relation to Mr Howard's claims this morning about the two meetings that have been allegedly cancelled, that one meeting was postponed due to the illness of a senior State transport official and the other because the New South Wales Government's senior representative was needed to address an international company setting up a possible operation in Newcastle; and, secondly, that Mr Carr is actually leading the process through financial support and significant resources, including the Premier's Department serving as a base and home operation for the project management team for the very high speed train, providing resources and support staff, including two people working full time on the project, while the Commonwealth has none, and repeatedly calling on Mr Howard to back this as a project of national importance? Chief Minister, did you receive - - -
Mr Kaine: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. Is this a political statement or a question?
MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order, but I must say I am puzzled about the relevance of all this.
Ms McRae: Mr Speaker, under what standing order are you calling for relevance of a question, may I ask?
MR SPEAKER: I am wondering about the relevance of it in relation to the ACT, Ms McRae. Proceed, Mr Corbell.
MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, I asked whether or not the Chief Minister had corrected the Prime Minister on these points, and I am outlining them for her. Chief Minister, did you receive an undertaking from Mr Howard that the Commonwealth will back this project in a more direct way than they have so far, certainly more than their lukewarm statements up until now have indicated; and when do you expect the Prime Minister to announce the financial and other support to back up his comments that he wants to see the whole process accelerated? When do you expect the Prime Minister to get serious about this matter?
MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, taking into account the very important things happening in the ACT that actually affect the people here at the moment, it is an amazing approach. The thing that I thought was most exciting about the statements of the Prime Minister last night was that he is now on the record as being 100 per cent behind the fast train. From an ACT perspective, both the Commonwealth and New South Wales have been frustrating - - -
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