Page 1981 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2011
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6. Comments made by the Chief Minister suggest that then sub-contractor was possibly aware of my presence, and chose to proceed with the demolition rather than check the area. The Chief Minister chose not to be critical of this failure on the part of the sub-contractor. This exhibition of bias by the Chief Minister in his statement to the Assembly is not conducive to establishing the true facts of this incident.
At the time of this submission, the results of the inquiry have yet to be provided to me. The Chief Minister stated in his response that the report would be made public.
As a citizen of the ACT I expect a high standard to be maintained on matters of public safety. I expect that all citizens, public servants, and Members of the LA also maintain these high standards. As an experienced lawyer, and former president of the ACT Council for Civil Liberties, I believe that the Chief Minister was aware of the damage that statements made in a public place such as the LA can have on individuals. I am disappointed in the way that he chose to respond to this matter in the Assembly.
Taken together, the comments made in the LA have, I believe, damaged my standing in the ACT. I request that this letter be published in Hansard as a citizen’s right of reply to redress the comments made by the Chief Minister in relation to this incident.
Ernest Hocking
Citizen of the Australian Capital Territory
27 April 2011
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