Page 1538 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 2012

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Water—secondary uses

MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (12.23): On behalf of the Treasurer and pursuant to a motion that was passed by the Assembly on 4 May last year, I move the motion standing in his name on the notice paper relating to secondary water use in the ACT:

That the motion of the Assembly of 4 May 2011 relating to the tabling of the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission’s final report on its inquiry into secondary water use be amended by omitting the words “last sitting day in March 2012” and substituting “first sitting day in August 2012”.

The reporting date outside that originally specified in the Assembly’s motion recognises the workload faced by the commission due to complex matters raised by the Legislative Assembly resolution as well as its requirement to undertake other inquiries with similar time frames. This motion to amend reflects the reporting date under the terms of reference for the commission’s inquiry into secondary water use being the end of June 2012. The government will table the commission’s report in the Assembly at the earliest time possible after receiving the commission’s report. I commend the amendment to members.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Sitting suspended from 12.25 to 2 pm.

Questions without notice

Schools—Taylor primary school

MR SESELJA: My question is to the minister for education. In the hazardous material survey and management plan for Taylor primary dated August 2008 it recommends:

External wall sheeting is damaged … These sheets need remediation as soon as practicable.

After the weather event earlier this year, the Taylor primary school principal, on the school’s website, said:

The structural damage at the school has the potential to expose asbestos at the site. The external walls of the school have been assessed by an asbestos assessor who found that if the panels were to become damaged by high winds asbestos fibres may be released.

Minister, if the government knew there was damaged asbestos wall sheeting in need of remediation in 2008, why was the work not done?

DR BOURKE: I thank the member for the question. I presume that in 2008, as a result of that notification of damaged wall cladding, that particular piece of damaged wall cladding would have been remediated and made safe.

Opposition members interjecting—


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