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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 10 Hansard (26 November) . . Page.. 3074 ..
MR SMYTH (continuing):
the Ngunnawals, who have scarred trees there. We then saw a succession of rural establishments. The highlight of the homestead could be thought of as Bean's time there after World War I, when he wrote the histories of the Anzacs overseas. We are now moving ahead to do something permanent with the Tuggeranong Homestead.
The Federal Government has recently given us a grant of $675,000 to do conservation work there. What we need to do now is come up with a master plan. To determine that master plan, the interim authority must decide what is the best option from the many submissions that we have had. They need to do that in a confidential manner, and a confidentiality agreement is entirely appropriate.
MR CORBELL: I ask a supplementary question. Minister, it is also my understanding that Ms Lamb gave an undertaking in writing to respect the confidentiality of matters relating to the expressions of interest process and clearly understood her responsibilities in relation to commercially sensitive information or discussions she might be involved in. She also offered to sign the code of conduct in her capacity as chair of Minders of Tuggeranong Homestead. This was rejected by the authority and the requirement that she not discuss any matter relating to deliberations of the interim authority was reinforced. Minister, in light of this information and the clear concerns expressed by members of MOTH, no doubt directly to you as well as to me, will you now undertake to investigate this matter and will you ensure that community representatives on this body are able to participate freely and that they are able to consult with the communities they represent, of course with due regard for the need to maintain the confidentiality of commercially or otherwise sensitive information?
MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, all the other members of the interim authority have agreed with this and believe that this is the most appropriate course. They believe that what they are doing is absolutely important. It is not for members of committees to dictate how matters are discussed. The chair of the interim authority, Mr Tony Ayers, is doing a tremendous job and what we will see is a tremendous outcome, not just for the people of Tuggeranong but for all the people of Canberra. We should see appear on this site, in whatever form it is that the authority proposes, a valuable asset for the people of Canberra in terms of preservation of our history. I believe it will also be a wonderful tourist destination in the Tuggeranong Valley, and that is something we could certainly do with down our way.
MR KAINE: My question is to the Minister for sport, Mr Stefaniak. Minister, things seem to have gone a bit quiet lately on the AFL scene. Can you tell me what the current status is of the proposal to redevelop Football Park? There seems to be a big gap in information lately.
MR STEFANIAK: I thank the member for the question, Mr Speaker. I think Mr Quinlan asked a fairly similar one several weeks ago. Since then, as Mr Kaine may well be aware, the AFL and the Australian Cricket Board, in conjunction with the local Australian rules and the local cricket, are looking at the way ahead for Manuka
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