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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 4 Hansard (22 April) . . Page.. 1222 ..


MR SMYTH (continuing):

The press releases read as follows:

MEDA ALERT

At 11.30am today (Thursday) Labor's Planning Spokeperson, Simon Corbell, will receive a 4000 strong petition from representatives of the Canberra International Dragway calling on the ACT Government to honour its commitments and act to help reopen the dragway. Planning Minister Brendan Smyth has refused to accept the petition.

The petition will be presented at the Civic Square entrance to the Assembly at 11.30.

Simon Corbell and Dragway representative Geoff Devlin will be available for interview.

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MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday 21 April 1999

4,000 STRONG PETITION

IN SUPPORT OF

CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL DRAGWAY

Tomorrow, Thursday 22 April at 11.30 am Canberra International Dragway Manager, Geoff Develin, will present to the opposition spokesman for Planning and land Management, MLA Simon Corbell, a 4,000 strong petition in support of Canberra International Dragway.

Canberra International Dragway has been closed since December 1998, the result of the Commonwealth Government reneging on a 10 year lease option included in the Dragway lease. The ACT Government, although being given certain powers and responsibilities within the lease option clause, has attempted to wash its hands of the matter.

The closure of the facility has seen a loss of approx $1.5m in visitor revenue to the Territory as the Dragway was the only fully operational facility in NSW attracting significant events and spending to Canberra.

The Minister for Urban Services Mr Brendan Smyth declined the opportunity to publicly accept this petition.

The petition calls upon the Federal Government to honour its commitments regarding the Dragway lease. The Dragway has requested that the ACT Government either do everything in its power to allow the Dragway to effect its lease option or alternatively identify an alternative sight for the relocation of the facility. To this date the ACT Government has failed.


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