Crispin Hull

ACT politics column. By CRISPIN HULL The public area of the Assembly committee room was almost full on Wednesday. Just one chair was available. The Budget estimates committee had just begun its morning session.

What a delightful thing to see such general public interest in the administration of the Territory, I thought, even if it might cost me my own seat.

And what an active interest all these people were taking as committee members started to question the Chief Minister about the over- and under-spending of the Budget-line items in her department last financial year.
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The failure by the ACT to negotiate the resumption of a lease over an equestrian centre at West Belconnen has caused the rescheduling of housing development at a cost of at least $1 million, according to a valuer.

The Minister for Planning, Bill Wood, acknowledges the rescheduling, but says there was no additional cost.

The owner of Fassifern Equestrian Centre, Mike O’Brien, said yesterday that he had been negotiating for two years over the nine-hectare site.
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Health is shaping up to be a major election issue, according to independent polling by the The Canberra Times. Residents are showing a high level of concern over health, rates and development, according to the polling.

Over the next three days The Canberra Times will publish details of extensive polling on ACT politics and the ACT’s federal politicians.
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ACT voters have given the Government a big thumbs down on health and land-use, according to results of a Canberra Times-Datacol opinion poll.

This issues show an extremely high level of dissatisfaction. Health stands out as an issue of electoral vulnerability for the Government with more people saying the Liberal Party would handle it better than Labor.

Usually, Labor is seen as the party more likely to deal with health better _ both locally and federally.
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The Liberal Party is ahead of Labor in Tuggeranong-based Brindabella and Labor is ahead in the other two seats, central Molonglo and Belconnen-based Ginninderra, according to the latest Canberra Times-Datacol poll. The poll indicates the ACT is headed for independents holding the balance of power.

The poll also indicates a defiance of the Labor party “”how-to-vote ticket” in Brindabella, with Labor’s No 1 candidate, Andrew Whitecross, polling third behind the two sitting MLAs, and on the poll figures he would not be elected.

The first preference break up is: Brindabella Labor 33 to Liberal 37; Molonglo 39 to 29; and Ginninderra 36 to 29.
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Support for the Follett Government has fallen away in favour of the Liberal Party since the 1992 election, according The Canberra Times-Datacol poll.It indicates that Labor will not get majority government unless there is a substantial flow of votes its way between now and the February 18 election.

However, Labor is still ahead four points and Rosemary Follett is preferred as Chief Minister over Kate Carnell by 3 points.

There remains a high percentage of undecided voters and a high percentage for unspecified independents and minor parties. But it is not good news for Independent Helen Szuty or Abolish Self-Government MLA Dennis Stevenson.
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Rosemary Follett has been pipped in the performance stakes for the first time since self-government, according to the Canberra Times-Datacol poll. Voters were asked to rate the 10 most prominent ACT politicians from very bad to very good.

Since polling began just before self-government in 1989, Ms Follett’s performance has always been rated higher than any other party leader or candidate until this poll. Now both the Leader of the Opposition, Kate Carnell, and the Minister for Health and Attorney-General, Terry Connolly, have overtaken her.

Adding the middle and positive ratings, Ms Carnell has a 75 per cent rating; Mr Connolly 68 and Ms Follett 63.
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Bill Wood is fighting the planning issue on two, perhaps three, fronts.Having announced two inquiries into in-fill in the hope of appeasing residents and community groups, last week the builders and developers jumped down his throat and threatened legal action.

The threat of legal action is important, and I’ll come back to it.

At the time of announcing the inquiries (one short-term, one long-term), Wood did not know who was to conduct them. So it seemed like policy on the hop.

To some extent it was making a virtue out of necessity, because both Independent Michael Moore and the Liberals supported an inquiry, and Moore was insisting on a moratorium on development until it was completed.
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Market is slowly maturing and splitting into several species of product each taking advantage of different elements of the technology.One species is the new multi-media package especially created for the CD-ROM. The recently released Ancient Lands from Microsoft is in the class. More of that anon.

Another species is the existing reference book or set of books put on CD-ROM.

And another is the huge directory.
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A new branch of the ALP in the ACT is being formed with more flexible meeting times, on the of the conveners said yesterday (saty). The branch would be Braddon Central and the administrative committee of the ACT branch council is to look at a full submission on the formation of the branch on September 15, according to Peter Conway who is co-convener with Warwick Priestly and Pat O’Connor of the Dickson branch.

Mr Conway said the traditional late evening meetings did not suit many people. A doorknock around the Braddon area said different times would suit retired people and people with families and would result in more people joining the party. He hoped one monthly meeting could be at breakfast time, the next at lunch and the next two at 6pm or 6.30pm and then cycle.
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