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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 4 Hansard (20 April) . . Page.. 962 ..

MR BERRY (continuing):

Let us take the unfinished Civic Square out here. We all remember the rush, the 24-hour days, that workers had to put in to try to complete that square in order that the Government could open the gallery opposite. We now know that water was put into the fountain while the render was wet. The render was washed out and the fountain had to be pulled apart again. We now are not surprised when every other time we look at the fountain we see that it has been emptied out and repairs are being carried out. It was a rush job to suit the Government's election agenda. That has come at significant cost to the ACT community because, continually, it has to be maintained. Now we hear that it was never finished and more work is required.

The last issue I want to speak on - I know other members have spoken on it - is the Hawker College refurbishment which was promised emphatically by the Liberals before the last election. This report has exposed another one of the blackest of lies that were told to the community before the election and the lack of intent that the Government had to follow through with it. Now, students at Hawker College have been forced to use substandard facilities in the false expectation that it would be improved as a result of the Government's election promise. This report merely exposes the Government again and again.

I think this report is a reasonable report. It is a report that is constructively critical of the Government's approach on many fronts. I trust that the Government will take note of the recommendations which are made in the report and much of the commentary, and that we do not see a repeat performance of the Chief Minister trying to justify the silly and dishonest position that the Government has taken over various issues in this term of office.

MR HARGREAVES (12.05): Mr Speaker, I rise to congratulate Mr Hird also on a very brave report and quite a good one, because it does show, I think, the good news that the Government has. It also shows up the flaws that some of the people in the bureaucracy have fallen into, notably the unprofessional and incomplete approach taken by the Chief Minister's Department. It is a good report. It is not the usual biased product, and I congratulate Mr Hird, Mr Rugendyke and Mr Corbell for it.

I notice in it provision in the city places thing for Belconnen and Civic. I also notice there is absolutely nothing there for Tuggeranong and I wish there was. I think it reflects sadly upon this Government to be so Civic centric.

Mr Speaker, there are a couple of good things I would like to say about this report. The Conder 4A extension of Templestowe Avenue is a great move. I congratulate the Government on that. I also congratulate the officers of the Minister's department on the way in which they have gone about talking to people and keeping their minds open to alternatives to achieving the same outcome. It is becoming increasingly obvious to us that there are sensitive wildlife and sensitive grasses and trees around that area. We have just bulldozed through these things all too often in the past.

An example of that sort of an attitude was the dumping of rubbish in the particular spot, which, I might say, I have been asking to have removed for about 18 months. The Minister's office has been interceding with the department and trying to get it done for at least three to four months. So far, Mr Speaker, both of us are being ignored for some

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