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ADVISORY COUNCIL
Minister criticised
over abattoir
The leader of the
Labor team on the
ACT Advisory Coun
cil, Mr G. J. Walsh,
questioned last night
the role of the Minister
for Health, Dr Forbes,
in determining the
future of the Canberra
abattoir.
Speaking during the
tabling of correspondence to
the meeting Mr Walsh said
' Dr Forbes had been deter
mined from the start to
"offload the abattoir from
his department".
Mr Walsh's remarks were
prompted by a letter to the
council from the former
Prime Minister, Mr Holt.
Mr Walsh said the coun
cil members who had been
interested in the future of
the abattoir knew that
Cabinet coui<i not and did
not look closely at the ques
tion. "otherwise Cabinet
would not have made the
decision it did".
It w^s unfortunate that
the Cabinet decision was
based on the expertise of an
inter-departmental report
prepared with "indecent
haste".
The whole issue had been
prejudged by Dr Forbes, s
whose department had been 1
responsible for the "negli- J
ccncc and maladministra- t
tion" of the abattoir for >
many years. I
When the council depu
tation had met Dr Forbes,c
it had been obvious that the 1
Minister could not '
effectively counter any of 1
the council's arguments. 1
"He was unable to say !
why he stood up in the
House and callcd the coun
cil's report fallacious", Mr
Walsh said.
"All he was able to do
was constantly reiterate that
the final decision had been
taken by Cabinet".
' Discussion
rejected
The chairman of the
council, Mr J. H. Pead, said
he proposed to call further
meetings of the council to
discuss the future of the
abattoir at dates yet to be
decided. Topics for discus
sion included the propose^
conditions under which the
abattoir would be released
as outlined by the Minister
for the Interior, Mr Nixon.
The _ meetings would also
consider what further action
the council could take to
reverse the Government's
decision.
Asked earlier yesterday.
about his plans, Mr Pead
said that although Mr Holt
had rejected his request for
personal discussions he in
tended to raise the matter
with the present Primej
Minister, Senator Gorton.
Mr Pcad wrote in Nov-1
ember seeking an appoint
ment with Mr Holt and
telling him that council
members were not satisfied
that the "full import" of
their reasons for wanting
the Government to retain
control of the abattoir had
i
been appreciated by Dr
Forbes.
In his reply, dated Dec
ember 12, Mr Holt said,
"In the circumstances I do
not feel that a further dis
cussion with members of
the council, as you have
suggested, would advance
the matter.
"The Government pro
poses to adhere to its origi
nal decision, and public
tenders will be called at an
early date".
Nixon rejects
travel plan
The Minister for the
Interior, Mr Nixon, has
rejected a call from the
council for all social
service and repatriation
pensioners in the ACT
to travel free of charge
in department buses.
This was one of five re
jections fom Mr Nixon
tabled in letters at the meet
ing last night.
Mr Nixon also rejected:
A motion that the council
be informed of and be in
vited to attend any Gov
ernment - appointed in
quiry into matters likely
to affect ACT residents.
A motion calling for a full
time principal, secretarial
assistance, library facili
ties, a textbook scheme
and the establishment of
refreshment facilities at
the Canberra Evening
Co,'fge
A motion requesting tht'**£<
pointment of a represen
tative of the Attorney
General's Department to
the nominated members
of the council and an in
crease of the elected
members to nine.
A mofion seeking funds to
be made available to the
council to enable it to
conduct inquiries, surveys,
research and other busi
ness relating to the ACT,
Mr J. Lcedman (liberal)
said he had been keeping
a score on the fate of coun
cil's motions. The council
was in its third month and
of the motions carried one
had been accepted, six re
iected and 12 pigeon-holed.
Reception
day may
change
The ACT Advisory Coun
cil may next year hold its
annual reception not at
Christmas but on Australia
Day — if the Government
does not take steps to cele
brate Australia Day in Can
berra. A suggestion to alter
the reception day was made
at the council's meeting last
night.
The council wants a full
list of all Justices of the
Peace in the ACT to be
prepared, . published and
posted in prominent places.
The council was told that
plans to extend the Weston
Creek sewerage plant would
greatly reduce the smell
many Woden Valley resi
dents have complained of in
past months.
The council spent most
of its meeting dealing with
correspondence and ques
tions without notice and
did not consider any of the
motions on the agenda.
The meeting adjourned
until next Monday night.
COUNCIL WILL
TRY AGAIN
The ACT Advisory
Council will re-submit its
request for Senate repre
sentation of the ACT to
the Minister for the In
terior, Mr Nixon.
The decision followed re
ceipt of a letter from Mr
Niton stating that repre
sentation for the Territories
involved government policy.
"Accordingly I have
passed to the Prime Minis
ter a copy of the resolution
and I feel certain that
council's views will be kept
in mind should this ques
tion be considered by the
Government", he said.
Council members said
Mr Nixon had obviously
misunderstood the terms of
the original resolution.
The council chairman, Mi
Pead, said the resolution
had asked the Minister to
promote legislation to give
Senate representation to thel
ACT.
It had not simply asked
the Minister to keep the
topic in mind should it be
considered by the Govern
ment.
Mr G. J. Walsh (Lab)
said the council and the
ACT community deserved
a far better reply from Mr
Nixon.
"Surely he doesn't have
to hide behind the phrase
'government policy' in this
matter", Mr Walsh said.
"I see no reason why a
proper explanation cannot
be given by the Govern
ment to citizens of the
ACT on this issue".
Stamp-duty
post
created
The Commonwealth Trea
sury has created a new
position of supervisor of
stamp duties for the ACT
within its management
services division. The salary
is in the range of 56,840
57,147.
The spokesman of the De
partment of the Interior on
the ACT Advisory Council,
Mr C. Douglas, confirmed
at the council meeting that
the supervisor would handle
the proposed ACT stamp
duty, to be introduced un
der legislation to be sub
mitted this year.
Shortly after the last
Budget, when he announced
that the new duty would be
imposed, the Treasurer, Mr
McMahon, said it would
raise $100,000 in the present
financial year.
Mr Douglas said that
other positions would be
necessary for the administra
tion of the stamp duty. He
was asked to determine
whether the Advisory Coun
cil would be able to inspect
the empowering legislation
before it went to Parlia
ment.
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