Page 4554 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 19 October 2010

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Environment and Water, I present the following paper:

Climate Change, Environment and Water—Standing Committee—Inquiry into the ecological carrying capacity of the ACT and region—Discussion paper, dated 6 October 2010.

I wish to make a statement in regard to the paper.

When announcing this inquiry, the committee indicated its intention to release a discussion paper. This paper has been developed to provide additional information about the terms of reference and some of the key issues related to the inquiry. The paper poses a number of questions as a starting point for discussion. The committee anticipates that the release of this discussion paper will provide assistance to those individuals and organisations in the community who wish to make a submission.

The committee invites comments from interested parties on the issues raised in the discussion paper or any other issues they consider within the scope of the terms of reference. The closing date for submissions is 12 November 2010. However, extensions may be granted.

I would like to thank the committee secretary, Margie Morrison, for her work on this discussion paper and my fellow committee members, Mr Seselja and Mr Hargreaves, for their assistance in the development of this discussion paper.

MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella), by leave: I do not wish to add anything further by way of the substantive comments that Ms Hunter made other than to echo them, but I do wish to recognise the support that we have received from the committee secretariat and the research staff who looked into some of the work we needed to put together to have the discussion paper created. It needed bringing together, and I commend Ms Hunter as the chair and the committee secretary for the work they have done, which I think has produced what I believe to be probably one of the best discussion papers I have seen in this Assembly in the 12 years that I have been here.

Quite often discussion papers are actually put out with an end result in mind; that is the nature of politics. This one was not; this is a genuine attempt to engage with the community. I urge all members not only to read the discussion paper but also to use their networks to see if we can get people to engage in its conclusions.

Former Chief Magistrate for the ACT

Statement by minister

MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services), by leave: Mr Speaker, I rise to address the Assembly today on the establishment late last year of a judicial commission to examine a complaint about former Chief Magistrate Ron Cahill. I previously addressed members on the facts relating to the establishment of the commission on 10 and 17 November 2009. Following the decision last month of the Director of Public Prosecutions not to prosecute Mr Cahill, there has been public commentary about the matter. I feel it is appropriate that I address the issues that have been raised.


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