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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 1 Hansard (22 February) . . Page.. 217 ..

MR DE (continuing):

Let us look at what we did about the fast train proposal. I saw the press releases before. What has this Government done about the fast train? We got together with the New South Wales Labor Government and the Federal Labor Government, and we took the initiative right here in the ACT to establish once again a task force to look at the very fast train. That was another promise that was delivered by this Government. Let us have a look at other things. Let us have a look at Athllon Drive. Who could ever forget Athllon Drive? This Liberal Party said, "Listen, when in government we will open that lane and make it a transit lane". For years and years we were told by the former Government that it could not be done. I think, Mr Speaker, it was done within three months of our being elected. They are the grassroots issues, by the way, that people opposite do not want to worry about.

Let us look at compulsory third-party insurance. We said that we would introduce competition for compulsory third-party insurance. That is about to be done as well. What else did we promise to the people of Tuggeranong, in particular, or the people of Brindabella? We said that there would be a refurbishment of the Erindale Leisure Centre. That is going to be done in this year's public works. An indoor sports facility is going to be built as well.

Ms Follett talked about money for police. My colleague Mr Humphries announced a couple of weeks ago $5.9m for a new police station for the people of the Tuggeranong Valley as well. That is another promise that was delivered, Mr Speaker. Let us have a look at some other things as well. Who can recall Mr Berry saying soon after they were shoved onto the opposition benches that the only time there was a graffiti problem in the ACT was after a Liberal government took over? What arrant nonsense! What did they do over the past four years when they were in government? Zilch. Again, nothing was done. What did we promise? We said that we would have a progressive shifting of graffiti, and we will do it in a coordinated way, Mr Wood - not with a bucket of hot, soapy water and a brush. It has to be done in a coordinated way. We have the Can It Squad. We have a strategy in place in cooperation with the private sector and it is working very well.

The Greens talk about heavy vehicles. I can recall, before the Greens were elected to this place, what the Labor Government's reaction was to heavy vehicles. They said, "Let us ban them all". Who could ever forget the trucks parked in the street? The longest queue was the waiting list queue under the Government formed by those on the other side. What have we done? We have a strategy. We get together with the unions, with the home owners and with the truck drivers.

Mr Whitecross: With the unions?

MR DE DOMENICO: Yes. Mr Whitecross is smiling.

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