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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 8 Hansard (9 August) . . Page.. 2716 ..

MR RUGENDYKE (continuing):

Hospital, is common to both, so that was going to be there anyway. So the compromise was that I would give up this spur if they would allow it to come behind the stadium.

No, there was no room whatsoever for compromise. There was no compromise. There was no room at all for any negotiation. So I thought, "Since there is no room for any negotiation, that will be my position. I will not support the spur, but I will recommend that it come to the east of the stadium and meet up with Caswell Drive as it does."

I think it was on 11 November-I am testing my memory here and I could be wrong-that the Chief Minister abandoned the spur. So, in effect, the government agreed with my position, didn't they? Didn't they?

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Rugendyke! Address the chair please.

MR RUGENDYKE: There is mock surprise that that should be the case.

Mr Humphries: Struck dumb.

MR RUGENDYKE: Dumbstruck that that should be the case. If I had blurted that all out the vocal people in this debate would have hounded me into the ground, berated me severely, so I kept it under my chest. That is the decision I have come to.

Mr Speaker, in the real debate I will talk about some of the submissions. I will talk about the very good submission from the Bruce Precinct Association who have been about since, I think, 1977. They are recorded as having made submissions to the GETS inquiry. I think it was that one. I am testing my memory again because I have not got the papers in front of me. I apologise for that, but I did not think we would be going into a fully fledged debate on this topic today.

The Bruce Precinct Association gave very good submissions and showed very clear logic as to why the road should not go to the west of the stadium. I congratulate the committee that is incorporated for the Bruce Precinct Association. They are terrific people. They put in a wonderful submission, and I think they did a supplementary submission. I am trying to remember some of the names of the people on the committee, but I cannot. I will mention them, Mr Speaker, when we have the real debate, and you will be surprised who those people are. Just remember the Bruce Precinct Association. I will congratulate the committee of the Bruce Precinct Association and name them. They have done such a wonderful job that I will name them.

Those are very basic reasons why I made a decision. I know that some people do not like that, but I do not apologise. I have made a decision. I am proud of that decision. I stand by that decision. I will not support Ms Tucker's amendment to send this matter back to our committee that has looked at this issue throughout the entirety of this Assembly and who would be ashamed to refer it to the next Assembly.

MR HIRD (5.24): Mr Speaker, I was listening this morning to 2CC and I heard the Leader of the Opposition berating the Chief Minister over the pending referendum. The Leader of the Opposition said, "Politicians are paid to do a job and to make decisions." That is quite right; they are.

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