Page 3578 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 19 October 1993
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CANBERRA IN THE YEAR 2020 STUDY
Final Report and Paper
Debate resumed from 26 August 1993, on motion by Ms Follett:
That the Assembly takes note of the papers.
MRS CARNELL (Leader of the Opposition) (3.39): The Opposition wholeheartedly supports the development of a vision for Canberra. Indeed, thinking ahead is something that we often fall into the trap of not doing as we grapple with day-to-day issues. In the Liberal Party we believe that it is impossible to put together a cohesive and cogent policy without a vision for the future that we want. Often those opposite seem somewhat unable to have a vision for the future. I made a submission to the 2020 Reference Group. In fact, I was the only MLA to do so. Canberrans need to think, as do members of this Assembly, about where we are heading in five years' time, possibly in 10 years' time; but I have to admit, as much as I think that visions are a good idea, that it is hard to believe that it is very practical to have an achievable vision that is some 27 years down the track. The very essence of a vision is that it must be workable; that it must have consensus. Put simply, it must be achievable.
There are many laudable goals outlined in this 2020 vision for Canberra. You could argue, though, with some of the detail outlined in "Canberra 2020 : Vision for Prosperity" and in the vision generally. Whether the renaming of the War Memorial to the War and Peace Centre would be embraced by the RSL and other players in this field could be very debatable. Whether it is a hugely important issue could be debated as well, but probably not debated quite as much as changing the name of ADFA to the Australian Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution Academy. It certainly has a ring to it, Madam Speaker, but I - - -
Mr Kaine: What is the acronym?
MRS CARNELL: It is not good, Mr Kaine. I can see that a number of the young people who currently attend ADFA may have some difficulty with the name change. I think it is far more beneficial to attempt to focus on the big picture. Specifically, I would like to examine some of the preferred options for Canberra's future and to contrast them with the course that the Follett Government is pursuing today. Let us do as the report did and move forward in time. I am quite surprised that Mr Berry has not interjected, as he has great difficulty in doing this. I think it is important to attempt to put ourselves into the future, as the report does, and I think it does make very interesting reading.
The report suggests that Australia is a republic in the year 2020 and in fact has been so for some 20 years. The report suggests that we have a new flag. I was somewhat surprised to read in the report that the new flag was adopted in the year 2002. That is after the Olympic Games; it is after the centenary of Federation. Why on earth we would adopt a new flag in 2002 is a bit of a mystery to me.
Mr Berry: You will have to wait to find out.
MRS CARNELL: I am just bringing forward some unusual parts of the report.
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