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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 340 ..

Mr Smyth: Mr Speaker, I still do not have the letters before me. Until I see the letters that they want comments on I will not comment. I am not sure what paragraph they are using or what they are referring to.

Questions without notice

Discharge from Belconnen landfill

MR SMYTH: Mr Corbell asked a question about the testing that was done on water released from holding ponds. The work was done by Ecowise Environmental, which is a National Association of Testing Authorities regulated laboratory. NATA sets the standards by which most Australian laboratories operate.

Deakin oval

Statement by minister

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Business, Tourism and the Arts and Minister for Police and Emergency Services): Mr Speaker, last week Ms Tucker asked whether a recommendation of the conservator was sought regarding the direct sale of block 16, section 36 Deakin, as required under section 209 of the act. I am pleased to be able to table the recommendation supporting the re-grant of the lease for the oval, and in doing so would like to explain why this recommendation was received only recently. Given the interest of most members of the Assembly in this matter, I would like to make a full explanation of the circumstances in which this occurred. I therefore ask for leave to make a statement.

Leave granted.

MR SMYTH: The negotiations on the redevelopment of the land leased by the Croatia Deakin Football Club commenced in 1998 and involved extensive consultations with members of the community, the Burley Griffin Local Area Planning and Advisory Committee, other government agencies and members of the Assembly, including Ms Tucker.

The details of the proposal were: construction of a new oval with lighting adjacent to the existing car park for use by soccer teams across Canberra; direct sales of the land for section 33 and part block 5, section 36, to the club for the development of 52 dwellings; release of part of the club's lease back for public open space; development of that open space at the club's expense; improved pedestrian and bicycle access, the creation of a larger public precinct around the Deakin anticline and the provision of overflow car parking facilities for use by the customers of the Deakin shops.

When the club had fully developed its proposal, the Treasurer wrote on 22 July 1999 to all members of the Assembly supporting the proposal in principle and outlining the proposed lease variation which would enable the club to retain part of the land for an oval. Members were also offered individual briefings on all issues relating to the future use of the block.

At this time departmental officers were preparing the lease variation to achieve those desired outcomes. It was proposed that the land be subdivided, with one part being surrendered to the territory to become urban open space. The work continued, on the

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