Page 3417 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 25 November 1992
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the grounds that at least it would use the Acton Peninsula site for a public health facility, particularly because of its clear advantages in convalescent terms. Madam Speaker, you only have to walk around the Acton Peninsula to understand that the tranquillity of the place is its most important factor in relation to rehabilitation and convalescence.
Mr De Domenico: Who said that?
MR MOORE: I just said it. We hear interjections from the gallery, although we are not supposed to hear them, Madam Speaker, that many people have said it. I am certainly not on my own; but no doubt the Liberals will be deaf to those, as they were deaf to the community when they originally closed the Royal Canberra Hospital and put it through a fast-track process, the penalties for which we are paying now. That site is absolutely perfect for the people of Canberra.
Mr De Domenico: She lives in Queanbeyan.
MR MOORE: I hear an interjection from Mr De Domenico, referring to Miss Slazenger, no doubt, that she lives in Queanbeyan.
Mr De Domenico: I did not interject. I was speaking to Mrs Carnell. You are eavesdropping.
MR MOORE: It is an interjection now, let me tell you. When Mr De Domenico says something about it, it reflects his total lack of understanding of the issues. Our hospital system is not just for Canberra; it serves a population of 450,000. I am sure that the Minister and Gary Humphries would verify that. It is a hospital of the Canberra region. I see the Chief Minister acknowledging that. It is something that clearly Mr De Domenico does not understand or does not approve of.
Mr Stevenson: She is not even here.
MR MOORE: I said "the Chief Minister" then, Madam Speaker. I meant the "Leader of the Opposition". I am living in the past on this issue.
One of the difficulties we have is that our planners seem to be frightened of the very thing that people in Canberra really love, and that is some open space. You only have to go to Geneva or some of the harbour cities of the world to look at what happens when a city meets the water. It has its own special kind of character, but in Canberra we have an even more beautiful character. The area around our lakes is much more natural. We do not have people living down on the foreshores. We have some room; we have some green space. That is what makes Canberra special, and that is what members of this Assembly, members of the community and the planners want to attack. They see that space and think, "We have to have something there. This will be great. This will be good on my CV if I do a great planning system from the city all the way down to the lake". There are a few other problems to resolve first, and those problems will have to be resolved in terms of setting a general direction for Canberra.
The question people must ask is: Why is there so much angst in terms of planning in Canberra? The answer is very simple. It is because the community generally has no idea where the Government is going. They have no idea what the direction is. They have no idea what the Government's strategy is for the future. It is no good giving us a strategy for another six months or another two years
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