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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (6 December) . . Page.. 3742 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

As an auctioneer who has moved around this region and other country regions, I know that the road system is vital for the movement of people, freight, produce - all sorts of things. We are the centre of a region. This region reminds me of the region I grew up in, the Newcastle area, where it was vital to have a good road system. Under the Askin government of New South Wales, with the assistance of the federal Menzies government, a four - lane highway was developed over a number of years to link the metropolitan area of Sydney with Newcastle. Today people going into that region enjoy that link, and people going further north bypass Newcastle and can go via Singleton to ports north.

Mr Hargreaves: Did you say "pork snorts"?

MR HIRD: If you want to know, Coolangatta or the Sunshine Coast. I thought you were paying more attention to what I was saying, Mr Hargreaves. This is a serious matter. We as a parliament understand that most people in Canberra appreciate the ability to travel anywhere in the ACT within half an hour.

Mr Quinlan: This is deep stuff, Harold.

MR HIRD: I hear the Deputy Leader of the Opposition say, "This is deep stuff, Harold." I tell you now, Mr Quinlan, that I was shocked to hear the word "boondoggle" used by your colleagues in the federal arena, turning their back, as they have done so often, on the people of this territory. To win votes elsewhere they would take the bread out of our mouths, reef the $20 million away from us, take the food off our plate. I am surprised to hear you make that sort of comment, Mr Quinlan. I trust that it appears in Hansard. Shame!

This money will allow us to address particular black spots where there is a high incidence of road accidents. We should not forget also that the ACT is the centre of a thriving region. People in the region depend on certain things - things such as education, health and other amenities - which they come to this city for. I have moved this motion to take action to safeguard this funding for the citizens of the territory and the people who come into the territory to do their business. It requests the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to send letters to Mr Beazley and Mr Snowdon expressing concerns over their statements. They should point out to Mr Beazley that Canberra is the national capital. Has he forgotten that? It is a city that all Australians should be proud of. Mr Beazley should ensure that his party members are aware of this and not put down just our city but the national capital of this great nation, Australia.

It is important that we have a bipartisan approach when we come to making certain that Canberra gets a fair go. A fair go is all we are asking for. This motion will put the acid test on the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Stanhope, to stand up against his national colleagues. I have full confidence that Mr Stanhope will. He needs to reassure us all that he is prepared to stick up for Canberra and ask that Canberra be given a fair go.

This motion will send a message to his federal colleagues to leave Canberra alone. It is not only the national capital but also our home, our city. We as residents depend on the functionality of the road system, as do those who live in the region.

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