Page 489 - Week 02 - Thursday, 11 February 2021
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forgotten Canberrans that I referred to in my inaugural speech who I will always remember. I will not let them down.
On this side of the chamber, we will not die wondering what if or what could have been. Every fibre of my being for the next four years will be devoted to fighting for those that are being left behind by this government. As an opposition, that is our role, our duty and our commitment. As the alternative government, my team and I will actively present fresh perspectives and new ideas on behalf of our community, in particular those who feel they have been abandoned by this government.
I take this opportunity to put this to the Chief Minister and the leader of the ACT Greens: levels of poverty, homelessness and the working poor have skyrocketed; after 20 years in office, obviously your approach is not working. Let us deal with this once and for all. Let us deal with this together. Let us see it for what it is—the good it is and the need it is. Let us make the poverty task force a tripartisan reality. It is something needed to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community get the vital support and services they need.
The election is done; do not dismiss this as a poor, mere political stunt. Let us work together to make sure that almost 38,000 Canberrans, including 8,000 children, from low-income households have the respect and dignity of leaders who will take an evidence-based tripartisan approach to addressing the systemic and root causes of poverty across the territory and take action so that each and every Canberran has a right to a fulfilling life.
Removing hazardous materials from our schools should not be as difficult as this government has made it. How can we even begin to have the best education outcomes in the world when we cannot guarantee that our students will be safe from exposure to hazardous materials? This has gone on long enough. Will you support my call today for a commitment that, by the end of this semester, every school in Canberra will be a safe learning environment, to give our parents peace of mind, our teachers and school staff a safe place to work and our children the best possible start in life?
Surely this is something that we, as a society, should be able to provide for our next generation as a matter of course. Let us deal with this once and for all. Let us deal with this together. Let us see it for what it is—the good it is, the need it is. Let us make the eradication of hazardous materials from all Canberra schools a tripartisan reality.
As I stand here putting forward these initiatives, I will not stand in the way of good, evidence-based, well-planned and genuinely consulted initiatives brought by you that are in the best interests of our community. I note the health minister’s commitment to getting hospital waiting times under control within nine months. My team and I stand ready to work with you to achieve this long overdue outcome for our city, for our people.
I note that this budget allows $14 million for the PACER program, an initiative that I wholeheartedly support. It is something that Minister Gentleman talked about in question time. There is ample evidence that this program works and that Canberrans
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