Page 3996 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 15 Sept 2009

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that is 2006. In 2006, “We need a dam,” and the government has been working on it since.

My understanding is that some of these figures went to the board of Actew probably three months ago. My sources are telling me that the government knew at least three months ago of an indicative cost. I think it behoves the Chief Minister to come down and tell us exactly when the dark descended on his memory. Why was he kept in the dark? What has he done as the senior shareholder to ensure that he is not kept in the dark in future? How is he, as a shareholder, protecting the value and the expenditure and the liability that will accrue to the people of the ACT so that they get a good outcome? First we did not want a dam, then we were dragged kicking and screaming to have a dam. We would not need a dam for 20 years; two years later we needed a dam. The dam was going to cost significantly less than the $363 million that it is now. You know, it started—

MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Ms Burch): The time for discussion has now expired.

Financial Management Act—instrument

Paper and statement by minister

Debate resumed from 5 May 2009, on motion by Ms Gallagher:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Adjournment

Motion (by Mr Corbell) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

Labor Party

MR HANSON (Molonglo) (4.23): Yesterday we got an insight into the state of the Labor Party in Australia, particularly in New South Wales, with the extraordinary speech of Julia Irwin MP in the federal parliament. I wish to comment on her speech and refer to some relevant examples of what is occurring here in the ACT. Basically, she said that she would not be seeking Labor Party endorsement for the next federal election. She said:

Having joined the ALP 43 years ago, I find it hard to describe the great differences between the Labor Party today and the one of 1966 … Labor … can no longer claim to be a party with strong grass-roots organisation. For the whole of my four terms in this place, the … electorate has been a factional battleground. Branch stacking in the late 1990s saw membership surge to over 3,500 members—more than the total membership of the West Australian branch.


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