Page 1130 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 3 May 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
suburb of Kambah up into two electorates, with the east side served well by my colleague Minister Davidson and me taking on the west side.
It feels appropriate, Madam Speaker, given my history with the west side of Kambah, that, while Minister Davidson speaks fondly of the east side, I have to tell you what is going on on the west side. You see, I was born and raised in Tuggeranong. I grew up on the west side. It was a bit of a novelty, as a student at the former Kambah High School, whether or not you came from the east side or the west side. Which group of friends you might have had at school, which side of the school hall or canteen you sat on depended on it. It was very parochial, very territorial. So I bring that defence for the west side into the chamber this afternoon.
One thing that I was particularly interested to hear in Minister Davidson’s remarks, because she is of course the data nerd of this Assembly—or, at the very least, of our party room—is that there are two more playgrounds on the east side of Kambah than there are on the west side. If that is true and if anybody in Minister Steel’s office is listening, be assured that that will insist on a letter from my office in the coming hours. I suspect I will not be able to go home without getting on top of that. The idea that the east is beating the west on anything, Madam Speaker, has gotten my attention.
In all seriousness, it was a pleasure to attend the heritage walk led by Kambah community locals, including Glenn and Louise, who showed us the rich history of the area of Kambah, the Urambi Hills and the beautiful housing estate on Crozier Circuit that we are all familiar with.
But, I will say, as a member for Brindabella and an active supporter of the west side of Kambah, that as good as the Mannheim Cafe is, Minister Davidson, as good as it is, you will not find a better coffee in Kambah than at the Lazzari Bros’ at the Carleton Street shops. The great thing about going to the Lazzari Bros’ at the Carleton Street shops is that it also means you can pick up gifts from Bewitched giftware and then get a pizza from Little Theo’s, so it really is a one-stop shop for all your Kambah needs. I can strongly recommend it.
In my work with Ms Lawder and Mr Pettersson we have recently had the privilege of going to the Namadgi School on a guided tour, as part of our work on the Standing Committee on Education and Community Inclusion. It is a tremendous school, and it was a real privilege to see this wonderful public education institution on the grounds of the former Kambah High School.
Madam Speaker, you have heard the story a million times over, so I will not bore you again, but my relationship to that school site and that school community is probably what led me to a stumbling block of decisions that now means I am here and get to annoy you with my wares—or at least annoy nine of you with my wares—so I have a lot of affinity for the Namadgi School and the fantastic things that are happening there.
It is worth noting that the Kambah community did not enjoy being split up between two electorates, Murrumbidgee and Brindabella respectively. And while Minister Davidson and I make an effort to work hard and meet regularly to discuss issues
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video