Page 3593 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 19 October 1993
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MRS GRASSBY (4.36): Madam Speaker, it has been an interesting discussion. It started off with Mrs Carnell thinking the whole thing was a joke and she went on in that way. Obviously, she does not have a lot of vision, so I would not expect her to understand what vision is about. Ms Ellis went on to say that she did not agree with all of the report, but she thought there was something there on which she could look to the future and that would give us some ideas. Mr Kaine virtually carried on with this. He talked about the things in it that he thought were good and the things he did not think were very good. He pointed out that it was a quite interesting piece of work.
Mr Cornwell started off with something that I rather liked. He started off with what they say in Spanish, "Pan, amor, y fantasia", which means that we all need bread, love and dreams. He said that it obviously has some bread that we can survive on, that it has some dreams and that there is a bit of love in it. But then he got onto this nonsense about being a republic. He went on and on about it, as though it was the only thing in the whole report and there was nothing else there to worry about. Of course, what he does not understand is that I object to the fact that I am discriminated against. Because I am a Catholic I could never be part of the royal family. They do not allow Catholics to be kings or queens. I object very much to that. I want to see a republic because I object to that.
Madam Speaker, Canberra in 1993 is certainly a wonderful city. Not a person who lives here or comes here would not agree with this. It has everything going for it. I believe that the 2020 study confirms these positive elements. Let us face it; there are lots of things that we do not all agree with, but this is a study that has been put together for us to look at. The 2020 study is an important contribution to a long-term vision for Canberra. We need visions. As I said, we need pan, amor, y fantasia. It sets out quite positively to look ahead and to plan for the next 30 years. It also raises important issues that the community needs to address to make us a leading class city. After all, this is the capital city of this country and it should be a leading city.
The study confirms that Canberra does have considerable advantages in the areas of environmental management, planning, public administration, education and advanced technology. There is no doubt that it is one of the best educated communities in the world. Importantly, Canberra will be able to draw upon these advantages and utilise its location in serving people in Sydney and in Melbourne. It is a capital city between two great cities. This will provide the required critical mass to allow businesses to take their products into a booming Asia-Pacific market. Canberra will be the linchpin in a highway between Sydney and Melbourne. It will not be just a physical transport highway like a road or a rail link; it will be a highway of the twenty-first century, an information highway.
Much more, activities will be conducted from home. An optical fibre cable will link us and will open up new opportunities for all who live here. Technology will be used in a manner unimagined a century ago. Schoolchildren will be able to learn at their own pace from home. Retail purchases will be selected from on-line catalogues with specials, and the elderly will be given new
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