Page 4202 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 23 October 1991
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We do not have peak hour in this city; we have peak minute. You hear people complain about peak hour. As I say, it is peak minute; it is not peak hour. If planning continues in this way, we will only ever have a peak minute; we will not have a peak hour, no matter how many people are living in Canberra. This is all due to the way you plan your city.
The city is planned so that people can get to where they work, or the workplace is near where they live. This will be done, and it has been done in some areas. We have done it in Tuggeranong. We have moved many of the government departments out to Tuggeranong. When I was a Minister, the parks and conservation people moved out there. They complained very much at first, but now they will tell you that it is one of the most pleasant areas in which to work. They are pleased that they are not working in Civic, as they did before, but are working out in Tuggeranong. The people who have to travel from Belconnen and who still prefer to work with the department say that they do not mind the trip because it is such a delightful trip down the Tuggeranong Parkway.
Again, this is all due to the planning. This is all due to talking to the people, to looking at the plans, and not overdeveloping areas by taking away the green space that we are so fortunate to have. I think we who live in Canberra are very lucky people. I think in many ways we are very spoiled. I do not think we really appreciate what we have, and we do complain a lot. We do not realise that we have a limited amount of money to do things, but if it is spent wisely - it is like every housewife who runs a budget - we can have ice-cream for dessert.
Very few men I know balance very good budgets. Even Mrs Thatcher said that, and she is one of yours. She said that men cannot balance a budget, nor can they run a country. That is why we have a woman Chief Minister. She knows how to balance a budget, and she knows how to run the ACT. She is doing a darn good job of it and I congratulate her. She had a dream the other night that we were going to get 12 candidates up. Her only fear was that we do not have another candidate; we have only 11. I agree with her. We could get even 14 or 15 up. But I am quite sure that we will have 12 here anyway. Rosemary's dreams always come true, she tells me, and I believe her.
The thing is that we have a very good Chief Minister who has balanced the budget. If the money is spent wisely and the planning is done wisely, we will be able to have the beautiful city we have now, the city that we enjoy living in, the city that we find attractive and functional.
Business people enjoy coming here to set up business because it is a functional city and because it is a beautiful city. I remember that we once did a survey about Canberra and asked people what it was that they did not like about Canberra. The only thing they could come up
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