Page 104 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 February 1990
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MR SPEAKER: Order!
Mrs Grassby: We think so too, that is why we have got him. He is wonderful.
Mr Kaine: I said, "Literally."
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MR WHALAN: The next casualty as the result of this amendment, Mr Speaker, is the wishes of the swimming community and the general community. They are the people whose views were sought before the wording of this particular motion was finalised. What we do know is that in order to have a decent competition facility which at the same time serves the recreational community and those concerned about health and the use of swimming pools for health, there needs to be a comprehensive range of different water facilities in the complex.
Paragraph (3) of my motion says that there should be "an Olympic standard pool, a diving pool, spectator accommodation and recreational pools". One can only wonder at the motives of the Government in seeking to remove that commitment. Maybe they hope to establish in Tuggeranong something like the swimming pool at Braidwood. That would be satisfactory, but we know their attitude towards Tuggeranong. Braidwood is a lovely town and I have used those toilet facilities there in the park next to the swimming pool quite frequently so I have had plenty of opportunities to observe the swimming pool. The swimming pool is a little pool as befits the size of the town. It is not an Olympic pool, but in the minds of this Government it might be good enough for Tuggeranong. That is its attitude towards Tuggeranong - to remove commitment. This motion seeks a commitment to facilities of a standard appropriate to a community the size of Tuggeranong, a community which contains such a proportion of young people as is in Tuggeranong. The community has been denied facilities for so long it is about time that it received those facilities.
The final casualty is the enclosure. One of the consequences of privatisation has been that it has been recognised that enclosure seems to be an essential element of swimming pools in the ACT. It is clear that, in order to have proper year round facilities available to the swimming clubs and to the schools and as recreational facilities, the pool must be enclosed so that it can be used 12 months of the year. There are very important community elements in relation to that because it does provide young people with a venue, somewhere to go to fill in their time. So from a community point of view of the facility it is important.
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (11.44): Mr Speaker, we have seen a remarkable performance today
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