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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 3074 ..

MS McRAE (continuing):

The next detail that seems to have slipped through is that, for one week, it is good enough for Mrs Carnell, as the Chief Minister, to stand out the front and say, "This is no time for politicians. All you athletes are fantastic". All of us were cheering because it was indeed a wonderful event. It was good enough to subsidise buses and bring schoolchildren in from all over Canberra for our Olympic champions, and so it should have been. But - oh dear - it is not good enough for 12 September. The Government says, "Paralympians are so good at raising money; they have so few other things to worry about; they have so few concerns in life, having proved themselves to be outstanding athletes. Let us use their skills and let us send the ACT Council for the Australian Paralympic Federation out to get more money".

Donations of $25 are, mercifully, tax deductible. So, that takes the sting out a little. But nothing takes the sour taste out of our collective mouths. For this extraordinary parade, I am sure that tens of thousands of Canberrans will turn out, if they can. We were all moved by the achievements of Damien, Gemma, David, John, Lisa, Hamish, James, Sharon and Judith - all of whom won medals - and Garry Crocker, Peter Dowling, Richard Nicholson, Francis Stanley and Sam Rickard, who were also at the games, behind all of whom we were putting our energy, enthusiasm and support. They are somehow in a different category. Somehow, it is all too much to help the children come to their parade; so the ACT Council for the Australian Paralympic Federation has to raise the money.

If anything comes out of this debate today it should be that I hear, in the closure of the debate, from our Minister for Sport or from our Chief Minister, something like, "Oops, sorry. The subsidy is on, and the ACT Council for the Australian Paralympic Federation can keep any money it raises to do what it is there to do, and that is to support our Paralympic sportspeople, to support our people with disabilities, to make life a bit easier for the families who work so hard to keep these people going. Let us get these children in to see these Paralympians, with the same level of support and the same level of enthusiasm as we saw for the first parade". I think anything less would be a sad indictment of this Government's support for our very best and most outstanding sportspeople, most of whom are probably with us in the ACT even now, who deserve every bit of support that we can possibly give them, if not an inch more. I will be listening very closely for that big "Sorry".

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education and Training and Minister for Sport and Recreation) (4.17): I do not know whether a big "Sorry" is actually appropriate. I think, once again, Ms McRae should check her facts and talk to the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for buses, Mr De Domenico. Also, she might have talked to Don Allan in relation to the Paralympics.

Ms McRae: So, what is this about? Page 3.

MR STEFANIAK: You might like to talk to Don Allan about that, because I know that they are very keen to raise money. But, Ms McRae, I am advised by the Deputy Chief Minister - and he can elaborate, if need be - that the same subsidy is being provided for the Paralympians as was provided for the Olympic parade last Monday week.

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