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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (14 May) . . Page.. 1445 ..

Ms McRae: So you are not accepting the invitation?

MR HUMPHRIES: No. Mr Speaker, the final point is the John Dedman Parkway. I, like many Canberrans, particularly people in Gungahlin, saw in Mr Corbell's statements in the media the other day about the parkway a very clear indication of wanting to have an each-way bet: "Yes, residents of Gungahlin, we are in favour of your parkway"; but, "No, people of O'Connor and Inner North Canberra, we are not in favour of taking away your bushland". In other words, Mr Speaker, "Vote for us, members of the public, and you will get anything you want; we are the party for everybody".

You cannot have an each-way bet on these sorts of issues. The Gungahlin external travel study - it was an NCDC study - recommended that there be exploration, through public consultation, of all of those options. That is what this Government has undertaken, in accordance with those recommendations. We have no preference for any particular route. If the reference that that incurs finally comes down in favour of a different route, we will accept that. The issues that Mr Corbell has raised may well be instrumental at the end of the day in deciding the issue. To pretend to the people of certain parts of Canberra that Labor is not really in favour of the parkway, which is what Mr Corbell was doing, is a little bit dishonest. I would say to him that he needs to be very clear: If he is in favour of the parkway, say so; if he is not, say so too, and he can see what people in Gungahlin think about that at the next election.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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