Page 5113 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 28 November 2017

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Ms Le Couteur: I will take out the words “Professor Brown” and replace them with “will the complainant”. It is not a question about a particular case; it is a question about a class of people.

MR RAMSAY: Given that we are now taking it into the abstract, the decision in relation to standing in this matter is taken by ACAT or the court and not by the Assembly.

Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate—FOI requests

MS LAWDER: My question is to the Minister for Planning and Land Management. Minister, on 3 August, I made an FOI request to your directorate for documents relating to the Federal Golf Club’s development proposal, the club’s transfer to the Tradies-backed Canberra Community Clubs group, and the government’s decision to hold community panel forums. On 29 August, your directorate provided documents from a similar request from 2015 and asked for further information. I replied on 6 September. On 19 September, I agreed to a significant reduction in the scope of the FOI. Now, more than 10 weeks later, the directorate has still not supplied the FOI-requested documents. Minister, why is your directorate failing to meet the deadlines set by the FOI legislation?

MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Lawder for her question. I understand that the directorate has been working with Ms Lawder to refine the FOI requirements. I do not have anything in my brief in front of me, though. I will check with the directorate and come back to her with the time line for that.

MS LAWDER: Minister, will you now intervene and instruct your directorate to supply the documents without further delay; and if the delay is due to understaffing, will you adequately resource this division within the directorate?

MR GENTLEMAN: As I said, I understand that the time line is due to the amount of detail within the question, but I will come back to the Assembly with those details.

MR COE: Minister, is your directorate deliberately delaying the FOI process and were you informed that an FOI was lodged and who the person was who submitted the FOI?

MR GENTLEMAN: We are not informed about which person lodges an FOI. We are only informed whether it comes from the media or perhaps a Legislative Assembly member or somebody else. But names are not used. I am pretty confident that they are not directly trying to delay the answer.

Greyhound racing—protest rally

MR PARTON: My question is, I think, to the Minister for Transport and City Services, but I will be happy to take direction if it is not the right minister. On 24 November, organisers of the greyhound rally that was held yesterday were denied


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