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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2654 ..

McDonald's Family Restaurant - Access Ramp

MR HIRD (5.33): Mr Speaker, earlier today I tabled, via the Clerk, a petition, which came to me out of session, from concerned students of the Kaleen High School and also their parents. It was to do with a problem which came about when a disabled student tried to enter the McDonald's fast food outlet at Bunda Street, Civic. This student was a student of Kaleen High School. Being one of the local members, along with Mr Stefaniak, I approached the McDonald's franchise owners and the Canberra Centre management to improve access for these people. McDonald's and the Canberra Centre have now agreed to share the costs for a ramp to allow not only physically challenged people but also mothers pushing prams and the elderly wishing to gain access. This is a wonderful result for the community. It is a result of community-minded students from the Kaleen High School and their parents, in conjunction with their elected members of this Assembly. The management of the Canberra Centre, McDonald's and the students of Kaleen High School are to be commended for their community spirit.

MR BERRY (5.34): Mr Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to read something to you:

The budget I present today is a first for ACT and Australian governments. It is an Australian first because we are releasing a realistic three-year budget. Gone are the simplistic forward estimates that have borne no relation to reality, as has been clearly demonstrated in previous years. In their place are real, achievable bottom lines that we will live within. It is an ACT first because there is now a government that can deliver a budget strategy to put the Territory back in the black. This budget has nothing to do with politics -

ho, ho! -

and everything to do with reality.

Ho, ho, ho! It continues -

It is a tough budget, but it is not a horror budget.

What an outrage! We heard a little while ago Mrs Carnell saying that the ACT dental service will not be cut. This is more of the doublespeak. Let me explain, Mr Speaker. The ACT dental service consists of salary expenditure of $2,911,000, administrative expenses of $799,000, and total recurrent expenditure of $3,709,000. Mrs Carnell says that that will not be cut. In the same breath, Mrs Carnell says that we cannot provide the level of services we previously supplied because there is going to be a cut of over $1m as a result of the cuts by the Howard Government - remember, the Government that Mrs Carnell helped push into office.

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