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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 10 Hansard (18 October) . . Page.. 3195 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

assistance of the then Acting Clerk, Ms Weeks. Following from the inquiry, the committee is unable to find that any improper influence was applied to a witness appearing before the committee at a public hearing on 5 May this year concerning the Gungahlin Drive extension.

A number of key documents helped the committee to reach its findings. These documents are also listed in the report and I seek leave of the house to table them now.

Leave granted.

MR HIRD: I table the following documents:

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank members. In relation to the claims that the government pressured the Gungahlin Community Council to adopt the government's view of where the Gungahlin Drive extension should go, the committee report specifically notes that the Gungahlin Community Council did not agree with the government's preferred route-in particular, one member. While both want the route to go to the east of the Australian Institute of Sport, the government wants it to continue to join Barry Drive while the Gungahlin Community Council sees no need for this extension. This is a pretty major difference of viewpoint and suggests that, if any influence were exerted upon the council-or a member of it-by the government, it was not too successful.

I want to turn now from the detail relating to Gungahlin Drive to a different matter, a more wide-ranging issue. Arising out of the inquiry, the committee can see a need to strengthen the public hearing process for parliamentary committee proceedings. We think it would be useful if all witnesses appearing before a parliamentary committee were told about their rights and responsibilities by the chair of the committee at the time they come to the table to give evidence.

We carefully considered whether there was a need to administer an oath or affirmation to stress the importance of the evidence being truthful and accurate, but we see no need to go this far, given that we are, as far as practicable, an informal and down-to-earth parliament that is close to the people we serve, both in respect of local government matters and our territory responsibilities. Rather, we think the chair should advise witnesses about their rights and protections, using the form of words shown on the first page of our report. The Standing Committee on Planning and Urban Services intends to adopt this procedure at all public hearings, and we recommend that all parliamentary committees of this Assembly do the same.

I would like to take the opportunity of thanking all those that assisted us in our deliberations on the matter before us. It was unique and interesting. I would like to acknowledge not only Ms Weeks for her professionalism, as I mentioned earlier, but also

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