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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (30 November) . . Page.. 3584 ..

I cannot for the life of me see how this government can walk away from the promise. It certainly looks as though they have. The minister in question time today informed us that it is unlikely that Belconnen residents will be swimming in a pool by the next election. That will be three elections this promise will have spanned. I cannot believe that a minister would be so barefaced as to inform us to that level without giving us a full statement as to his failure to perform in relation to the provision of that important election promise.

The residents of Ginninderra are entitled to be angry about this promise, whether or not they are swimmers, whether or not they are likely to use the Belconnen pool. It is a promise that has been made over and over again and demonstrates the lack of commitment to the electorate by this government, despite a strong and enduring commitment to expensive and grandiose schemes. I think the minister may have been distracted by these expensive and grandiose schemes in Belconnen and perhaps lost sight of the promise that he made so many years ago and has repeated so many times since.

If you are out in Belconnen and see wandering up Eastern Valley Way near the intersection with the proposed extension of Aikman Drive a lost soul looking for the promised swimming pool, just take the time to go over and say to him, "Look, those potholes that were made from the sod turnings are not the pool. We are still waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting."

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (5.39): I want to make some comments about one of the very excellent candidates the ALP has preselected for the seat of Brindabella at next election, namely, Mr Athol Williams, who was the subject of the venting of significant spleen by the Deputy Chief Minister in a press release this week. I want to draw attention to the incredible values which Mr Athol Williams brings not just to the Labor Party but to the community. I will give a brief summary of Mr Williams' life and commitment to the Canberra community and in particular to the people of Tuggeranong.

Athol is one of those rare people who were born in Canberra, and he has lived in Canberra all his life. He has lived in Tuggeranong since 1974 and is proud of the fact that he and his wife were the 31st settlers in the valley of Tuggeranong after its redevelopment. They occupied the 31st house. Athol has been a member of the Labor Party since 1973, which is very significant. Irrespective of what side of politics one is on, one can only admire that dedication to public life that has been exhibited through membership of a political party for 27 continuous years. He has held a number of very senior positions within the ALP over that time.

He has been a delegate of the Trades and Labour Council, president/secretary of the Goulburn District Trades and Labour Council and a national conference delegate for SDAEA. As many people would know, Athol is a full-time union organiser for the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, and has been so since June 1975. The SDAEA is the biggest union in the ACT, the union that cares for young shop workers, people who are quite vulnerable. I think everybody here would admit that those workers are the most subject to abuse by disreputable employees of any group of workers one could imagine. From my four children working at jobs in their youth I am aware of some

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