Page 1952 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 25 June 2008
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However, let us go to what is happening in the Assembly today. On the basis of no evidence, the Leader of the Opposition has brought this shameful motion on today. He has held up important business of the Assembly, as Mr Stanhope has already outlined. He has done this because he seeks cheap political gain for himself. He and his colleagues do not stand here today to further the common good for the people of Canberra. He stands in this place to further the aims and aspirations of the Liberal Party and his personal gain.
Those opposite would have us believe that this government stands in this place and speaks for our own benefit and that the Chief Minister stands in this place for his own benefit. Not so; he stands in defence of good governance. Mr Seselja’s arguments are flawed and his motives hold no credibility. Today I heard a person on the radio talk about the process that we are engaged in today as putting politics before governance. This is true. Mr Seselja has placed politics before good governance.
This morning the Leader of the Opposition tabled a number of documents and sought to construct an argument, through them, that the Chief Minister had misled the Assembly. A close examination of the facts and the documents proves this to be completely false. I would like to take the opportunity to go through a few of these documents and set the record straight.
In relation to document 15, an internal Land Development Agency minute tabled by Mr Seselja, much has been made about a note written by Ms Anne Skewes, the former head of the Land Development Agency, on 15 July 2007 that said, “CMD have already agreed a site.” This implication is once again that a decision had been made and sites already ruled out. However, I am advised that the officers of the Chief Minister’s Department examined the piece of correspondence and have indicated that they believe that the date written by Ms Skewes should in fact have read 15 August, not 15 July.
In relation to that document, I have two statements of fact, one signed by the General Manager, Urban Development, Land Development Agency, and the other by the Project Director, Urban Development, Land Development Agency, who states:
The brief contains a notation from the CEO dated 15 July 2007 which contains a question mark after the initials of the CEO. This notation would suggest that the CEO had read the brief prior to it reaching her office.
Given the above table this would not have been physically possible. I am of the view that the CEO mistakenly dated the brief back to the General Manager, Urban Development 15 July 2007 instead of 15 August 2007.
I seek leave to table those documents, Mr Deputy Speaker.
Leave granted.
MS PORTER: I table the following documents:
Proposed gas fired power station and data centre—Statements of Fact—
Ray Stone, Project Director, Urban Development, dated 20 June 2008.
Gordon Lowe, General Management Urban Development, Land Development Agency, dated 20 June 2008.
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