Page 4876 - Week 13 - Thursday, 2 November 2017
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The Canberra Tradesmen & Union Club are negotiating the purchase of the land to enable substantial redevelopment and replacement of the club facilities.
That was two years before the supposed expression of interest. For years the government was planning to give the car park to the Tradies and they finally concocted a way.
On 15 September 2012 expressions of interest opened. Before the expressions of interest had even closed the Labor Party had put in a DA to deconcessionalise their lease. On 20 December, a little Christmas present once again, the government said the Tradies had won the tender. On 23 February Simon Corbell came into this place and said that the Tradies can deconcessionalise their block.
Following on from that, the Tradies conveniently sell another block to the government. They do not have to pay $3 million but they in actual fact get $4 million. What is more, the valuation was out of date. The valuation was done in April; it was valid for three months. It was 17 months out of date when the transaction actually took place. There were two scenarios and in actual fact they went for the one that favoured the Tradies the most. I will come back to that a little later.
All in all you have the government planning a sale to the Tradies for years, a tender geared towards the Tradies, a deconcessionalisation application before the tender had been awarded, a sweetheart land sale that no other parties had access to, a valuation that was 17 months out of date and a valuation based on vacant possession, not for 42 months.
There are so many issues with this Labor government, whether it is by design or by mismanagement or by complacency or by corruption. Things have to change in Canberra. We do not have confidence in this government. The ball is now in the Greens’ court. Will they stand up for integrity or will they continue to give Labor a blank cheque?
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Tourism and Major Events) (10.22): I have now served in this Assembly for over a decade. In that time I have seen a few motions of this kind. None, including this one, has had any merit. This one, though, differs solely through a distinct lack of enthusiasm and competence from the opposition in bringing it forward. Let me be clear from the outset that I completely and utterly reject the opposition leader’s allegations. I reject them personally and I reject them on behalf of the government.
I will shortly set out the facts on every issue raised by the Leader of the Opposition, but first I want to outline the positive agenda that we are here to implement. Just one year ago Canberrans rejected the opposition’s negativity and instead voted for a government they knew would support their lives and their choices and back them in. This government wants Canberra to confidently face the future, a future of health care where you need it, of world-class teaching and learning spaces and tools, well-paid and secure jobs, and a city powered 100 per cent by renewable energy. This
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