Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

When the honourable senator started asking me about outlaw motorcycle gangs I thought I was going to get a question about the CFMEU, but we might be able to deal with that a bit later on in question time. In relation to the question that the honourable senator asks, I can indicate to her that, rightly or wrongly, Australia rejoices in three tiers of government, and state and local government has a lot of responsibility in relation to planning and allowing certain activities to occur on certain premises. I for one—I am not sure that it is necessarily government policy—would not necessarily want to see us getting too involved in detailed planning decisions as to where things are allowed to be located—near schools, next to schools et cetera. That is the clear responsibility of the state government and, in this case, the Hobart City Council. So I would respectfully request and suggest to the honourable senator that she should make those representations not to Canberra but to the state parliament in Hobart and to the new Lord Mayor of Hobart, Alderman Sue Hickey, whom I congratulate on her election.