Page 2342 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 16 September 1992
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Mr Humphries: They are not frivolous. Madam Speaker, the motion talks about the ACT Legislative Assembly members of the Liberal Party, not about the Federal parliamentary members of the Liberal Party. Therefore, any reference to Dr Hewson is irrelevant.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Humphries, I do believe that what Dr Hewson has to say is relevant to this debate and I will let Ms Ellis continue.
MS ELLIS: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I quote:
At more than 46,000 square metres, it would be Canberra's second largest building after Parliament House ...
This is wrong. It will be approximately the same size as the Edmund Barton Building. It will be much smaller than Russell Offices, and smaller also than Cameron and Benjamin Offices in Belconnen. What they may have been attempting to refer to is the size of this building in terms of the scope of the development. This project is the single largest building development in Canberra since the construction of the new Parliament House.
Madam Speaker, this is where the Opposition's lame objections cause more affront than anywhere else. The Opposition has been claiming recently that it is concerned for the unemployed of Canberra. Actually, Madam Speaker, I can again quote from the Hansard a comment made by Mr Kaine the day after the Federal budget was brought down in relation to jobs for Canberra. I quote:
There is this great claim about 2,000 jobs. When? This year? Next year? The year after, when it comes off the drawing board? Are you, the Government, going to give a guarantee that the 2,000 jobs, if there are 2,000 jobs, are to be filled from the unemployed ranks in the ACT?
Those were strong words from Mr Kaine the day after the Federal budget was brought down. Anyone reading that Hansard would say that Mr Kaine is concerned about jobs for Canberra. Anyone reading that Hansard would not believe that Mr Kaine has rejected the York Park project. If Mr Kaine and his colleagues are so concerned about unemployment, why have they rejected a project that, during its life, will provide up to 1,500 jobs for Canberrans? The answer, Madam Speaker, is political expediency, and once again giving in to the pressure of their Federal colleagues and collaborating in a bid to gain cheap political points around Australia through Canberra bashing.
This building will serve the purpose of providing realistic office space for DFAT. It will solve the current occupational health and safety problems, as well as fire hazards and continual breakdowns. Surely every public servant has the right to such accommodation. Madam Speaker, this Opposition holds the people of Canberra in contempt. The York Park project will provide reasonable and safe working conditions for the officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The York Park project will provide jobs for Canberrans. The York Park project represents a sensible and practical decision by the Federal Government which will benefit Canberra and Canberrans. The Opposition needs to be condemned for their contempt of Canberra, for their contempt of the valuable work of public servants, and for their blatant lack of understanding of the issues surrounding safe conditions for all Australian workers.
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