Gillman Land Sale

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:45): Supplementary, if I may.

The SPEAKER: Deputy leader.

Ms CHAPMAN: Has the minister, at this stage, had any discussions with the Minister for Planning regarding the rezoning of land at Dry Creek and Gillman?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (14:45): I think it would be useful for everybody to remember what was said about this yesterday, and I will repeat the pertinent bits of it. The reason that I am not, as Minister for Planning, dealing with this matter is because in an effort—I can't remember the exact words I used yesterday, but so that not only the right thing be done but be seen even by the most critical person to be done, to separate the situation where the carriage of the Renewal portfolio, and indeed some knowledge that may have come into my mind by reason of that, whether by osmosis or reading or whatever, was not able to in any way be seen by the most critical people, of whom there are some in this room, as contaminating any decision about planning.

So, the situation is that part of the reason the Minister for Police is assisting in this way is because the Minister for Police has not, by reason of his ministerial responsibilities or any other thing, been anywhere near this. More to the point, people would appreciate, I hope—and I know the member for Bragg would appreciate this—that, in him discharging his particular function under the Development Act to assess as to whether a matter should proceed or not, he is to be informed by the officers in the planning department of the process that has gone on, the submissions that have been made, the arguments and whatever, and then he is to exercise his judgement, as the responsible person, to make a decision.

That judgement is his judgement and his judgement alone. It is not something upon which ministers ever enter into conversation about because it is not something ministers enter into conversation about. So, the Minister for Police stands quite apart from any of the process that has gone on, in his ministerial sense, in connection with the Renewal function; but, of course, necessarily, as minister delegated to deal with this matter, officers of the planning department would necessarily have and must, in order for him to do his job properly, sit down with him and provide him with information, answer his questions and provide him with any further matters he requires but pertinent to the planning decision alone.

The SPEAKER: The minister has sedated the house again. Deputy leader.