Page 1839 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 19 August 1992
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Roads - Black Spots Program
MS ELLIS: Madam Speaker, my question is addressed to the Minister for Urban Services. I ask the Minister: How will the people of Canberra benefit from the Federal Government's budget commitment to funding of black spot programs for roads?
MR CONNOLLY: I caught some interjections earlier from the Opposition, such as "Let us see some reality, not some rhetoric". The black spot funding program, of course, is a program where the reality can be seen every day on Canberra's roads, because it has been an ongoing program where a large sum of money has been spent and is being spent. We had projected that this year we would get the final $1.2m of that. However, the budget handed down last night by the Labor Government provided an additional $2m for Canberra, so it means that we have an additional $2m to use this year. That sum of money will be spent on a range of programs. We are still in the development stage of getting those programs up; but amongst them would be Erindale Drive, Horrocks roundabout, Wisdom Street and Yamba Drive, which is a site where there have been a couple of fatal accidents in recent years, and other programs throughout Canberra.
This is again an example of this Labor Government cooperating with the Federal Labor Government. Madam Speaker, this is a Labor Government that, when it speaks on economic issues, can be listened to with some credibility, because this Labor Government, Leader of the Opposition, has brought down in both budgets of this Labor Treasurer either a balanced budget, or a budget in surplus, whereas when you were the Treasurer your budget was hopelessly blown out. So you could do with some lessons on economics from this Labor Government, because we have the runs on the board in delivering social justice and a balanced budget - unlike your approach to the one budget you delivered when you had control of the ACT. So, in relation to ACT economic issues, Madam Speaker, this $2m will assist in our program of further stimulus to the ACT economy.
Construction Projects
MRS CARNELL: My question is to the Chief Minister in her position as Minister with responsibility for the status of women. I would like to know how many of the projected 2,000 construction jobs that are projected to be created in the ACT will go to women?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, it is a fact, of course, that women are increasingly taking part in perhaps non-traditional areas of employment; indeed, the construction industry is one of them. I am sure Mrs Carnell will be delighted to know of the ACT Government's support for the tradeswomen on the move project, for which we have funded a full-time coordinator. She will be delighted to know also, of course, of the great success of that program and the numbers of women who have, for instance, taken up occupations like carpentry, plumbing and so on.
Mrs Carnell: How many? Six? Seven?
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