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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 9 Hansard (31 August) . . Page.. 2590 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

parliamentary zone are those that arise from its role as a physical manifestation of Australian democratic government and as the home of the nation's most important cultural and judicial institutions and symbols.

The Government, of course, has a right to say what sorts of activities it thinks symbolise our nation. Through this proposal it is saying that a V8 car race is an appropriate and a good symbol of our nation as we move into the new millennium. It is saying, as a statement of value for our nation, that what really counts most in the final analysis is whether or not an event makes money. The Greens do not share that view, and neither do many people in the community.

Mr Humphries said on ABC that it was a good location for a race because there are many high profile landmarks. The high profile landmarks he speaks of are our national institutions and, as such, are regarded by many in our community as worthy of respect and dignity. Construction of infrastructure necessary for a car race will obviously be a significant intrusion on the area. I think it seemed to be offensive to Mr Humphries that Mr Berry raised safety issues, but that is, obviously, a significant factor in a car race involving these sorts of powerful cars.

I was interested to hear Mrs Carnell's breakdown of the costs for the cement barricades in order to ensure safety. I am not clear on whether they are going to be removed at the end of the race or whether they are to be a permanent structure. Whichever way it is, the point is that it is an ongoing expense or it is an ongoing intrusion on that very significant area of the national capital.

The other response to this proposal is, of course, about the expenditure priorities of this Government. The Government has responded to concerns raised by the community about inadequate expenditure on social services by saying the money is just not there; yet, for this car race, no worries, and $7m is found just like that, and that includes ongoing expenditure as well. Of course, the justification for this is that it is an investment and we will see monetary benefits to the ACT.

We often hear the Chief Minister praise the accrual accounting system that we have adopted in the ACT. Unfortunately, we do not see the concepts applied to the social sector. Of course, we are accruing a social liability by not appropriately investing in this area. It may not be so easy to quantify, but it is absolutely critical if the Government wants to claim anything like a responsible long-term approach to policy-making. I cannot say strongly enough how offensive it is to disadvantaged and vulnerable people and their carers who are not able to access basic support services to see how easy it is to access millions and millions of dollars when it suits the Government, and for a car race, of all things.

We know that the mental health area needs better resourcing. We know about the damning review of child and adolescent mental health services. We know about disabilities; we know about respite care; we know about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; we know about our public education system. These are things that worry our community, and these are the things that this Government continually pushes back into the too hard or too expensive basket. We have asked in the past for real discussion with the community on revenue and expenditure priorities in the ACT. If this

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