Page 1203 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 24 April 1990
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particularly its oral history program. That is where the life stories from elderly Canberrans are recorded so that they are preserved. Their reminiscences of early days and early life here in the ACT and surrounding districts are preserved for future generations. That is part of our heritage as well. We have got the Railway Historical Society and, last but not least, we have the Government's commitment to the maintenance of its own government archives.
I think I have demonstrated the fact that this Government is committed to the maintenance of the ACT's heritage. Perhaps it is also worth while to have a look at what heritage was maintained prior to self-government, under the previous Labor Government and, for that matter, under previous Liberal coalition governments. I think their approach in the ACT has been amply demonstrated by the disgraceful state of repair into which the Old Canberra Inn was allowed to deteriorate. That is a real piece of Canberra's heritage. It was allowed to become run down by the previous Labor Government and the previous Federal governments, but now we have a strong ACT Government and I can assure you that the Old Canberra Inn will certainly not become a piece of jetsam for some developer to knock over and turn into a car park or something along those lines.
We heard the Leader of the Opposition waxing eloquent on what a marvellous job the previous Labor Government here in the ACT had been able to do in relation to Canberra's heritage, stating that she had grave doubts as to whether this Government had a commitment to heritage and to heritage issues. Frankly, I am rather amazed at that. It is well-known, of course, that the previous Chief Minister, the current Leader of the Opposition, has an intolerable hatred of Calthorpes' House; she was committed to its sale and presumably its demolition.
Mrs Grassby: That is a lie.
MR DUBY: We all know that. That is a common thing. As a matter of fact, I am told that, when I recently announced that Calthorpes' House was safe and it would be retained by the ACT Government, champagne corks popped late into the night at Calthorpes' because it was definitely under a cloud. People thought it was going to go. They were worried.
Of course, it was not only properties like Calthorpes' House. Strangely enough, in her speech Ms Follett mentioned, of all things, the Canberra bus stops, our lovely Federation-style bus stops which are all over the inner north and south suburbs. She had the cheek to say there was a demolition order on my desk stating they were about to be knocked over by me on behalf of this Government. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, when the previous Government came to power there were, I believe, over 30 Federation-style bus stops throughout the inner north and inner south of Canberra.
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