Page 2764 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 1993
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Water-skiing
MRS GRASSBY: My question is directed to the Deputy Chief Minister in his capacity as Minister for Sport. What is the Government doing to assist the ACT Water-ski Association to accommodate elite training?
MR BERRY: There is a solid squad of water-skiers in the ACT and there are limitations on the water space which is available to them to practise their sport. There are some amongst that squad of recreational water-skiers who aspire to elite level and there are some elite level water-skiers in the ACT.
Ms Follett: We had a world champion, I think.
MR BERRY: Indeed. We have access to waterways in the Molonglo River, at Molonglo Reach; but there is not much that we can do to create more water space, except use those areas which would be rejected because of their incompatibility with the management of water supplies and so on. I think that for some time we may hear of some frustration amongst those water-skiers about water space. I guess we have to say that we will never have an unlimited amount of water space for water-skiers and we have to call on them to use whatever we have sparingly, so to speak, to ensure that those people who do aspire to elite level continue to get access to water space in order that they can practise their sport and represent the ACT and Australia at elite level.
Those of you who have been out on the Molonglo River know that it can get very busy because there are recreational boat owners, there are recreational skiers, and, of course, there are people who are trying to train for elite level. We cannot just automatically close down areas of water space because elite skiers want access to it. The community also has rights of access in relation to it.
Mr Cornwell: Give them a little more time. You could do that.
MR BERRY: As the Liberals always - - -
Mr Cornwell: I have written to you on this, Minister, and you are aware of that. I have not had an answer yet.
MR BERRY: It is never enough. It is too much, too fast, too slow, too high, too low, not enough, too much. Mrs Carnell is an artist at it. As I said, they get quite ugly about these issues any time that they are unable to convince somebody that it ought to be more or less, or more time or less time. We can never satisfy you people. There are some factors that are never going to go away, and one is the shortage of water space. There was a proposal by water-skiers to open up parts of Lake Ginninderra for water-skiing. I can say to you categorically, no; that is not going to happen. There will be no water-skiing on Lake Ginninderra. It was never intended that it would be there, and this Government will not allow it. Neither would the community accept it. I know that there was some strong lobbying to have access to Lake Ginninderra. There would also be strong resistance from all quarters of the community to expanding water-skiing on Lake Ginninderra and Lake Burley Griffin to a full-time basis.
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