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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 7 Hansard (21 June) . . Page.. 2353 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

even though there is a glut of land for hi-tech industry at Fern Hill Park and the AMTECH estate in Fyshwick and a glut of office space in Civic for which the government has been giving assistance to turn the office space into apartments. The government has done nothing to provide major employment in the Gungahlin Town Centre.

There has been a reduction in the funding of PALM over the last few budgets, which makes me question whether PALM really has the capacity to promote high-quality design. On the contrary, there seems to have been no reduction in the level of developer-driven planning that has been a feature of this Liberal government. As a sop to the community's opposition to the Liberals' development agenda, this budget includes money for a new position of community planning adviser but, like the free school bus plan, there was no prior analysis of how the community's need for advice on planning issues is best provided. There was not even consultation with the government's planners in PALM.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Your time has expired, Ms Tucker. Would you like to take your second 10 minutes?

MS TUCKER: Yes, Mr Speaker. A number of pieces of ACT legislation now contain references to the objective of ecologically sustainable development, mostly because of Green amendments. I noticed recently that even the government was proposing to put a definition of ESD in the Water Resources Act. I wait for the day when the government will actually apply its legislative responsibilities to ecologically sustainable development in any serious way.

MR BERRY (4.30): Mr Speaker, I seek leave to move together amendments Nos 1 and 2 circulated in my name.

Leave granted.

MR BERRY: I move amendments Nos 1 and 2 circulated in my name [see schedule 3 at page ] Mr Speaker, some members will say that we have had this debate and they do not want to hear it again. I know that they do not want to hear it again because it is stating the bleeding obvious, but it will ring in their ears between now and the next election. If they do not support me and my amendments do not get up, every time they waste a dollar on an unfair, inequitable free school bus system, they are going to be reminded over and again about this issue.

Yesterday, I drew attention to the fact that 75 per cent of kids are going to miss out on the free school bus plan; 75 per cent of school students and their families will miss out in this vote-grabbing exercise by this government. Mr Speaker, 60 per cent of non-government school kids and their families will miss out on this vote-grabbing exercise by this government. Only 25 per cent of the students and their families will benefit from this previously unaffordable and forgotten vote-grabbing exercise which has been launched by this government and which is opposed by the overwhelming majority of members of this place. The difficulty is that a couple of them will not come to the party as they do not have the courage of their convictions.

Mr Rugendyke: I've got the courage of my convictions.

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