Page 1897 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 June 1993
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MR DE DOMENICO: Yes. If you eliminate zooming old ladies down whilst shopping, you are eliminating fun! As if the Independents - the would be's if they could be's - have a complete monopoly on fun in this life. What a ridiculous comment to make!
This Bill is all about saying that there are designated areas in which to do all sorts of things. If the Government, any government, wanted Garema Place to be a designated area where we could have rollerblade competitions, they should build a facility accordingly. Garema Place and the areas around the Belconnen and other shopping centres such as the Red Hill shops, where Mrs Carnell is, are there to provide the public and the community with shopping facilities. Elderly people especially ought to feel confident that when they go shopping at a place designated as a shopping centre they are not likely to be knocked over by anybody, whether on a rollerblade or anything else, and that is what this Bill is all about.
There is another thing we need to look at. Has anyone thought of the financial consequences if someone does get injured in one of these areas? Who is going to be responsible? Who is liable for paying the costs? Has anyone thought about all the damage that is done to the trees and the plants around these shopping centres, or do we just talk about the environment when it suits us? Has anyone talked about the damage that is done to public property sometimes? Who is responsible for paying for that? What about the damage to ACT property? What about the damage done to the kerbs?
If people went out and had a look at those shopping centres, they would know exactly what we are on about. We are not about abandoning our concern for young men or women or children or eliminating fun, for heaven's sake. We are all here because there is a problem out there in the community. It is the community that is coming to us, the elected members, and saying, "We have a problem and we want you to fix it". It is not as if we are going out ourselves and creating the problem, for heaven's sake. It is the community coming to see us.
Mrs Grassby: Why are they not coming to us? We do not see them.
MR DE DOMENICO: Talk to them, Mrs Grassby. You have to ask them that yourself. Go out there and talk to them. You might find out what is going on.
Mr Kaine: Ask how many of them have tried to get an appointment with you up there and cannot get in beyond the door on the fifth floor.
MR DE DOMENICO: Thank you, Mr Kaine - and especially the people in Belconnen. As Mr Kaine knows, they are coming to see us because they cannot get anybody up there to talk to them. Mr Moore is not here, unfortunately. If he were to go out and talk to these people, he would realise that there is a problem. I am going to support this Bill being referred to a committee. Once and for all, let us try to get it out of the political arena and say that there is definitely a problem. When there is a problem, it is no good hiding it behind the bushes and saying that it does not exist. It does exist. Every problem, I believe, has a solution, and we have shown in this Assembly, when we get to the committee area and do not have to argy-bargy politically across the floor of the house, that we usually solve our problems. For Mr Moore to talk about the elimination of fun and other things is just preposterous.
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