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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 5 Hansard (11 May) . . Page.. 1541 ..
MR CORBELL (6.44): Mr Speaker, much has been said in the debate this past week in relation to Gungahlin Drive or, as it is more commonly known, the John Dedman Parkway. I thought it would be useful at the conclusion of the week to clarify some of the things that have been said this week. The first is the suggestion from the government that the Gungahlin Community Council supports the government's option for Gungahlin Drive. That is untrue. In fact, it is certainly a case of the minister not putting the full picture on things.
The minister would be aware that Mr David Gower, who is the president of the Gungahlin Community Council, gave evidence to an inquiry conducted by the Planning and Urban Services Committee on this matter last week. In that evidence, Mr Gower confirmed that the Gungahlin Community Council did not support all of the government's option. Indeed, the Gungahlin Community Council noted that they did not support the bifurcation of the John Dedman Parkway extension for the connection through to Barry Drive.
They outlined very clearly that they believed that Gungahlin Drive, as they called it, was mainly a north-south route and the connection to Barry Drive was unnecessary. It is important that we put on the record that the Gungahlin Community Council, in their evidence to the planning committee, did not support the government option in total. Indeed, they see no need to support the bifurcation of Gungahlin Drive through to Barry Drive.
There are some other points I want to make. I was concerned to see a statement from Mr David Gower, who is the president of the Gungahlin Community Council. I have worked with David on a number of issues over the years, including the need for a permanent hall for the Palmerston community, a Palmerston community hall, which this government has failed to deliver to date, and the extension of Horse Park Drive through to the Federal Highway.
Mr Gower said in his statement that he refuted a claim of mine. I quote:
The Minister for Urban Services, Mr Brendan Smyth, did not give the Gungahlin Community Council an ultimatum on the route for Gungahlin Drive Extension or no road as expressed by Mr Corbell.
Mr Speaker, this is wrong. I am afraid that this is wrong. I did not put words into Mr Gower's mouth; he said them himself. Mr Gower said in his evidence to the planning committee that he had received pressure from the government. He said:
Yes, pressure was put on us to a degree that if we did not support the government's option which is the eastern alignment, we would not get a road.
I did not put the words into Mr Gower's mouth; he said that. We now have the strange situation where we have a media statement from the Gungahlin Community Council which directly contradicts evidence he has given to a parliamentary inquiry. That raises some serious questions, Mr Speaker.
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