Page 2854 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 5 August 2008
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the owner of the land will respond to your call to be a “good corporate citizen”, and have they agreed not to push their legal right to unlimited retail?
MR BARR: I thank Mrs Dunne for the question. My understanding is that at this stage negotiations are still ongoing with the developer in question.
MR SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mrs Dunne?
MRS DUNNE: Given that this is the second embarrassing error in the last few months, why are you unable to ensure that ACTPLA does not make ACT taxpayers vulnerable to legal action on the basis of its contractual management?
MR BARR: I reject the premise of Mrs Dunne’s question, but it is worth noting that the Planning and Land Authority clearly, as publicly indicated on a number of occasions, regrets the particular incidents that Mrs Dunne is referring to. It certainly would not go down as a highlight of that particular statutory authority’s history.
However, I can advise the Assembly that a deed of rectification is currently with the developer for execution. The territory has a number of other avenues within the deed to ensure that the original sale conditions for that site are upheld and that a consistent position is put.
I do of course recognise that this is not a highlight in the history of the organisation. Steps are underway in terms of both calling in external bodies to look at systems within the authority and also, from the chief planning executive himself, undertaking a management review of the particular processes that led to this error. I have made comments in the media in relation to it being a failure of version control and that a system solution would ensure that such an error does not occur again.
Clearly, it is embarrassing for the authority. The authority has acknowledged that. Steps are in place to ensure that such a mistake does not occur again.
Gungahlin swimming pool
MRS BURKE: My question is to the Chief Minister and Treasurer. Chief Minister, I refer to your announcement yesterday in relation to the Gungahlin pool. Can you please now tell the Assembly when this facility will be built, how much will it cost and what will be the model of delivery?
MR STANHOPE: The pool will be built in the term of the next Assembly—I hope sooner rather than later. The government has funded a design and feasibility study in relation to the pool. We will flesh out during that process issues in relation to the model, the full nature of the facility, the government’s expectations in relation to it and potential models. It is almost certain that we would wish to test the level of interest within the private sector in the construction and operation of a pool for Gungahlin.
There is absolutely no doubt that the CISAC model has been enormously successful. I believe it is probably fair to say, with great respect to other facilities around the town—and I am sure Mr Stefaniak would join me in suggesting—the CISAC facility
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