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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 10 Hansard (12 October) . . Page.. 2943 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

I turn to the specifics of Mr Smyth's response to having been caught out. Mr Smyth's response to having been caught out was to issue this press release. It is instructive to go through this press release. This press release is designed to minimise the nature and scope of the problem. This press release is designed to suggest to the people of Canberra, "Don't you worry about it. There is nothing to worry about". Look at the heading. It says, "One load". Both Mr Moore and Mr Smyth have paid significant attention to the fact that we are talking about 2,000 tonnes of stockpiled waste. What is the heading to Mr Moore's press release? The heading is "One load" - - -

Mr Corbell: Mr Smyth's.

MR STANHOPE: The heading to Mr Smyth's press release says, "One load of metal car waste being tested at Belconnen tip". That is a heading designed to mislead. We should go through this press release paragraph by paragraph. There were 2,000 tonnes - Mr Smyth concedes that - of material which was previously tested. The previous testing was done by the company dumping it. I do not say there is anything misleading there; it is simply a case of not giving the full picture. But the Minister went on to say:

That previous testing was done by the company dumping it. That is not a particularly objective basis on which to accept tens of thousands of tonnes of waste into our Territory, into my community. The press release continued:

We have now discovered that that was not the case. It was not one load. Samples were taken across the loads. So that statement was not true. The one load claim was repeated in the next paragraph of this press release. It says:

The continuing theme is the suggestion: "Look, we have this one little load. We have got it quarantined. We are sticking it off to the side. It's all under control. One little load; previously tested; no problems; nothing to worry about; we've got it under control. You can trust the Government". (Extension of time granted)

Then there was a suggestion that there will be further testing by ACT Waste and Environment ACT. The next paragraph commences with the words "The load in question". Once again there is the same theme: "Look, let's just feed them a bit of bulldust here; a bit of the old mushroom treatment. Keep them in the dark. One small load. It's all we have to worry about". The suggestion is: "Look, we have it quarantined. It's off to the side. There is nothing to worry about. There are 2,000 tonnes of it, but we are only worried about one small load. Not the 2,000 tonnes; not the lot of it; not the fact

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