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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (2 December) . . Page.. 4323 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

To understand the great importance placed on the very high speed train and the upgrading of Canberra Airport by businesses within the region, we need not look any further than the current issue of Canberra Building News, the official journal of the MBA, one of the many groups from private enterprise within the region that gave evidence to our committee. I hold it in my hand, members. That certainly demonstrated to me and to my committee that there are huge benefits to be gained by this project. The MBA is to be commended on its very positive attitude. I must admit that all of those that gave evidence were positive, and all of them identified the area as a transport hub. They focused on the very high speed train either terminating its Sydney to Canberra run at the international airport and creating a transport hub, or having a branch line into the Canberra central business district and moving on down to Melbourne. This article covers all aspects of both projects - the upgrading to an international airport and the very fast train. I commend to members a reading of that report. I know that my colleague Mr Corbell has a copy.

Now that the stage has been set, it is important that we continue to lobby for the selection of the best technology to serve Canberra and the region into the twenty-first century. The one aspect of the development that disappoints me is the bloody-minded attitude of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and its leader, Mr George Wason. I am sure that all members of this parliament would have been disappointed to read Mr Wason's comments last weekend. He said that it would be suicidal for any developer or investor involved in the very high speed train project to go ahead without first reaching an agreement with the unions. If that is not a veiled threat, Mr Speaker, I have never heard one. But I suppose we have come to expect comments like that from Mr Wason. I only hope that Mr Berry and Mr Wason's other friends opposite have enough interest in the future of this Territory and the region to convince him of the damage that these types of statements can cause.

In concluding, Mr Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the time and effort put into this inquiry by my fellow members of the committee, in particular Mr Corbell - Mr Corbell has taken a huge interest in this, and I compliment him for that - and also Mr Osborne.

Mr Berry: You bagged him out when he wanted to do this.

MR HIRD: It is a shame that Mr Berry does not take the same interest as his colleague Mr Corbell does. Rather than trying to attack all the time, they should be looking for some consensus. It is a shame that Mr Berry has not quite come to grips with statesmanship yet; but I am sure that members over there are working on it, and we may well see a change of attitude - but not in the immediate future. We might see a change of leadership after 21 February.

Mr Corbell: He will be Chief Minister then.

MR HIRD: If he is Chief Minister, I will be worried. I start to shake and shudder at the thought of Mr Berry being a Treasurer, when he does not have any batteries in his calculator and the calculator does not work.

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