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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 5 Hansard (15 May) . . Page.. 1262 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

We had interjections previously from the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister saying that the 15 per $1m applies particularly to buildings but not necessarily to roadworks, so we might get a lower figure. Even if we use an average of, say, 12 per $1m, or even 10, with $100m we are still talking about 1,000 jobs in Canberra. We are talking about a huge number of jobs. We heard very sensible questions asked by Mr Osborne yesterday about $14m coming out of the capital works vote to fill a hole in the recurrent budget. He asked sensible questions about jobs, not questions that need to be dismissed with "Nope", or "No", or "We do not care", or "So what!". These are real issues. That is the very sensible motivation behind Mr Wood's motion.

Mr Speaker, I find very interesting some of the specific issues that Mr Wood has taken on. He talks about the Cultural Centre. That is something that our committee has tried to move on as well, Mr Speaker, by making a statement here and suggesting that it ought to be a part of the redevelopment of the Civic Square. We are interested in ensuring coordination between the development of the Playhouse, the Cultural Centre, and the redevelopment of the Civic Square - projects worth, I think, off the top of my head, $5m, $1m and $7m, or something in that order, with no coordinating body.

At the last committee meeting we discussed approaching the Minister to get further ideas about whether the Link area can be used for the Cultural Centre. That is a very sensible idea. I can indicate that, whilst the committee has not come to a final conclusion about it, we are very open-minded about that concept and would like to discuss the matter with the Minister and/or appropriate officials from the Government. A government office block in Gungahlin is something that our committee, in a number of its reports, has called on the Government to provide. The Belconnen indoor pool was discussed at length during the capital works hearings. It is an issue that, I would think, would be very dear to Mr Hird's heart. Mr Hird has put many years of voluntary effort into swimming in this Territory. I would have thought that, as a member from Belconnen, he would be using his influence to ensure that that pool in Belconnen would be built.

Another example is the extension of Ginninderra Drive to Northbourne Avenue. I was very interested to hear Mr Wood say that some of the members of the Federal committee who said that that should not go ahead have now recanted on that. I will be asking Mr Wood to explain that to me more thoroughly, because that issue is currently before our committee. Anybody I talk to who looks at Ginninderra Drive, or who looks at it on a map, or who has driven down it, says, "Why did it stop?". Blind Freddy can see that it ought to proceed straight down to Northbourne Avenue. I believe that that is still the case, even with the development of Southwell Park and the sewage reuse area there. I believe that there is still room for Ginninderra Drive to get to Northbourne Avenue and free up that traffic without causing problems. In fact, only yesterday I tabled a petition to that effect from, I think, 880 residents from that area.

Mr Wood: Reid and Langmore wrote saying that it needed to be reviewed.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR MOORE: I hear a very useful interjection from Mr Wood, Mr Speaker, saying that a - - -

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