Page 4016 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 30 October 2013
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there should be a body of some sort comprised of representatives of the ACT government, relevant experts, the private sector, the federal government, if they contribute money, the NCA, and that the focus of this body would be on making the convention centre happen.”
At the end of Mr Smyth’s comments he said that it is important to get this right, and I agree. The worst way to approach this is to try and run a motion through this place, with no consultation, on a private members’ day, seeking to lock the government into a preferred delivery model. If you are after a collaborative approach, Mr Smyth, which I extended to you by including you in that recent workshop and having the opportunity to meet with Larry Oltmanns and extending—
Mr Smyth: You included me?
MR BARR: I included you; I allowed you to come to that dinner. We paid for that, Mr Smyth, and I extended the hand of bipartisan friendship to you. I extended that to you, Mr Smyth. But if your response to that is to verbal the Canberra Business Council and try and run political motions here today to lock the government into a particular model, without specifying what you mean by a trust—you have given no detail at all about what you mean, how it should be structured and what sorts of governance arrangements there should be.
The government cannot support the motion as you have worded it. I have circulated an amendment that outlines the process that the government will follow. I will be back in November to provide further information to the Assembly on the government’s progress. I want to work methodically with the stakeholders to ensure we get this right. If we do not, if we establish the wrong process and put in place the wrong governance structure, it will go nowhere.
Mr Smyth: Why haven’t you done the work then?
MR BARR: I am doing the work, Mr Smyth. What you are seeking to do is to grandstand on private members’ day because you have got nothing else constructive to talk about. If that is your approach to this and if that is how you want to play this over the next two or three years, fine. We will have these debates across the chamber at each other and I will not support a single rubbish idea that you put forward. That is the reality. That is how we can play it. That is how the next three years can go. Or you can accept the hand of friendship. I move this amendment in that spirit to see this project through. I move the amendment circulated in my name:
Omit all words after paragraph (1)(b), substitute:
“(c) the City Plan and City to the Lake development both include the Australian Forum project in their scope;
(d) a workshop led by industry expert Larry K. Oltmanns with key stakeholders was held on the Australia Forum where an agreement on the City Hill site was reached; and
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