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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-27 Daily Xml
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Question Time

ST CLAIR LAND SWAP

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Urban Development and Planning a question about the St Clair land swap.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I had the good fortune to attend a public rally at the St Clair reserve on Sunday 18 October. It was great to be there and see a lot of familiar faces from the Cheltenham public meetings that I have attended on a number of occasions. Interestingly, I was the only member of parliament there. I did not see any members opposite.

The PRESIDENT: I remind the honourable member to stick to his question.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Thank you, Mr President. I was distracted by Andre Rieu over there. It is interesting to note the concern in the community about this land swap, and it was a pleasure to see the wonderful amenity and the 100 year old trees on that site that are to go. It is my understanding that submissions were made to the council last night and that a decision will be made by the council on 9 December possibly to refer the decision to the minister.

I am advised that 11 of the 15 councillors are members of the Labor Party and eight of the 11 work for current Labor members of parliament. Members would also be aware that the Victorian government recently passed legislation banning government advisers and staffers from being on councils. My questions are:

1. Is the minister confident that the recommendation that he will receive from the council will accurately reflect community wishes?

2. Does the minister support the Victorian Labor Party's legislation banning government advisers and staffers from serving on local councils?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:34): In relation to the first matter, I think I will wait until I receive official notification from the Charles Sturt council before I respond to questions. I do not need the Leader of the Opposition to be the postman or the conduit; I would rather reflect on the advice that I receive from the Charles Sturt council in relation to any request that it makes. As I understand it, there will be a number of issues—

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: I rise on a point of order, Mr President. There are some of us in the chamber who are actually interested in the answer, unlike the Hon. Mr Finnigan and—

The PRESIDENT: What is your point of order?

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: —his ministerial colleague.

The PRESIDENT: It is hardly a point of order, but the Hon. Mr Finnigan will come to order.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: As I say, the St Clair land swap is a matter that has been before the Charles Sturt council. We have all been reading about the issue in the local media. If it comes to me then I will give it due consideration at the time, but I will not speculate on the decision while it is still before council.

In relation to the latter part of the question, it is up to individuals who run for local government. We have had an example just this morning from the Hon. Mr Winderlich, who seems to spend an inordinate amount of time before Burnside council; we get a running commentary. So, it appears that some members of this parliament are quite happy to spend most of their time on local government affairs. However, in my view it is important that we have the best possible people running for—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: You don't support the Victorian government's legislation?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: The Victorian government can take whatever action it likes in relation to those matters; it is up to individuals. All I can say, with regard to people in my office, is that they are too busy to have other duties; there is plenty to do. However, if other staff members wish to be involved in their local community and they can contribute, why should we limit the gene pool? We have certainly seen enough examples in local government where the calibre of representation has left much to be desired. If people can assist their community by serving on local government I encourage them to do so.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Dawkins would like to hear the answer. The council will come to order.

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