Page 4403 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 19 November 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
This brings me to my next concern. It was most perplexing to receive very negative responses from both the Health Minister and his colleague the Minister for Housing and Community Services about the lack of proactive rather than reactive planning for the provision of health and welfare services in developing suburbs. It seemed that every way I turned I received the brick wall approach. Some of us may recall a very famous cartoon in the Canberra Times about a Minister answering questions about a certain subject. We could have redrawn that cartoon and just added a couple more names, because they were the sorts of answers that we were getting to questions in this area.
Already a large number of families are moving into these developing areas, particularly in South Tuggeranong, and the budget provides no apparent funds for much needed community facilities. It seems that the developing areas of South Tuggeranong in particular are not going to get the sorts of facilities that have been provided in some of the other parts of Canberra.
Frankly, this is just not good enough. The community is fully aware of the needs in these areas, as we have all been there before. I can see the advisers within the bureaucracy and I am sure that they, as well as the Minister, know the problem. It would seem to the Rally that such problems are being put into the too-hard basket. I hear the cries from the Minister opposite. I hope that the Minister is going to tell this Assembly what he proposes to do about the provision of child-care services beyond Calwell in the South Tuggeranong valley.
There was not one mention of that in any of the information that was provided to us, and, frankly, Mr Connolly, that is not good enough. It does not have to be in the report, Mr Connolly; I am putting it to you right now. While some additional funds may be required at this stage, there will be an overall and lasting drop in the health and welfare budget as the problems of families in developing areas are managed much earlier and at a much lower cost. Short-term savings will generally produce longer-term problems with a higher price tag.
My colleague Mr Collaery will make some comments on the Bruce Stadium. However, I recall standing in this place in the first months of this Assembly and speaking about the stadium. I quote from Hansard, page 323, where I said:
It would be most unfortunate if we in the ACT found ourselves saddled with the cost of running what is really a national facility. It is a national facility, Mr Speaker, that should not be allowed to become a millstone around the neck of the ratepayers of the ACT, especially when the proposal seems to suggest that major changes will be made to the stadium to prevent the sort of activity for which it was designed being conducted.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .