(1) (a) What capital funding was provided to Tasmania under the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) for the construction of forestry interpretation and/or visitor centres;

(b) how many centres were to be constructed;

(c) how many centres were constructed;

(d) where are they situated; and

(e) what was the cost of each centre.

(2) What conditions did the Commonwealth place on the use of the funding.

(3) Was it a condition of the grant that the centres could be sold and leased back to Forestry Tasmania; if so:

(a) what conditions applied to the sale proceeds; and

(b) how is the Commonwealth to recoup its funding; if not, can the Government confirm the sale by Forestry Tasmania of the Forestry Eco Centre constructed at Scottsdale, Tasmania.

(4) Was part of the sale contract the lease of the building to Forestry Tasmania.

(5) What are the terms and conditions of the lease.

(6) For how many years and at what rental is the building leased.

(7) What was the Commonwealth funding for the construction of the Scottsdale centre and what was the sale price.

(8) For what purpose have the funds from the sale been used.

(9) Is it acceptable to the Commonwealth to provide recurrent funding to Forestry Tasmania through liquidation of Commonwealth-funded assets?

(10) Are there any other Commonwealth-funded Tasmanian Forestry capital projects which have been privatised and leased back to Forestry Tasmania.

(11) Did the Commonwealth recoup any funding from the sale.

(12) Are there any other RFA Commonwealth-funded Tasmanian Forestry capital projects which have been identified for sale and lease back, for example, Dismal Swamp.

(13) Is it Government policy to provide the states with capital funding and to permit the states to sell off the assets unconditionally.

(1) (a) $3 million was provided by the Commonwealth, with $1 million provided by the State ($4 million in total for the projects);

(b) two;

(c) two;

(d) one centre is located at Freycinet National Park. The other `centre' is a network of smaller attractions and facilities in the vicinity of the Great Western Tiers (Deloraine, Mole Creek, Trowunna, Mersey River White Water Reserve, Alum Cliffs, King Solomon's Caves); and

(e) total cost of the East Coast Interpretive Centre (Freycinet National Park) was $2,220,000 and the total cost of facilities on the Great Western Tiers area was: $1,780,000.

(2) Funding of the East Coast Interpretive Centre and the Great Western Tiers Centre was conditional on funds being used solely for the purpose of project development and construction.

(3) No, the grant conditions neither included nor excluded such an arrangement as funds were provided to the State for the purpose of development and construction of the Centres, after which the State assumed responsibility for them;

(a) not applicable - see (3) above

(b) the Forestry Eco Centre at Scottsdale was not funded under the RFA.

(4) Not applicable.

(5) Not applicable.

(6) Not applicable.

(7) The Commonwealth did not fund the construction of the Scottsdale Centre under the RFA. Dorset Council received a Regional Tourism Program grant of $85,000, administered by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources (DITR), for the interpretation components of the Centre.

(8) Not applicable.

(9) Not applicable.

(10) No.

(11) Not applicable.

(12) No.

(13) There is no general policy on providing capital funding to States.