Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 3 Hansard (12 March) . . Page.. 960 ..

MR CORBELL: Mr Stefaniak should address the chair, consistent with standing orders.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: At the same time, Mr Stefaniak should not be provoked by government members interjecting. Proceed, Mr Stefaniak. You are both equally guilty.

MR STEFANIAK: Mr Deputy Speaker, I will address you. My apologies for that. Perhaps I am getting like a few government members who do not address the chair. At least Mr Corbell's colleague has indicated that he is going in to bat for the library. So he should. That is very positive, given that Mr Wood was a member of the Follett government, which was going to close it. I am pleased to see the turnaround.

Ms Dundas's motion is worthy of support. It is something that people in north-west Belconnen who use Kippax are calling for. Only today I have received correspondence from people involved in the area who want to see a complete master plan for Kippax. They mentioned Charnwood as well.

Mrs Dunne is quite right. All governments could have done more. I was pleased to see at least some improvement made to the amenity of the shopping centre by the previous government and an improvement made to Charnwood. But more needs to be done, and it needs to be done now.

The area is growing because Dunlop is growing. The area has been neglected over probably a 20-year period. It is a nice area, Mr Wood. You are quite right. It is a great place to go and shop. It services 30,000 people. More needs to be done. Ms Dundas's motion hits the spot in terms of what members of that community want to see happen. It is worthy of support.

MRS BURKE (4.47): I have been listening to some very positive points coming from the government benches, amongst the slagging and bagging of the former government, but we will leave that there.

Does the community know where things are up to? We talk about open consultation and good processes. From the feedback I get from people at Kippax, they do not know where things are up to. Obviously you have not kept them informed, Mr Corbell. Kippax certainly deserves to know where things are up to. I do not think they do. They seem to be in the dark. It is a process that seems a long way off.

I wonder when the businesses in Kippax Fair were last contacted and consulted. They have opportunity, but have people been around? It has been a very touchy issue for many years. The area is becoming more and more run down. It is unacceptable. It is time for the government to stop bagging the former government. They have a plan. They were in opposition for six years. They kept telling us they were ready for government. They said, "We have all the answers. We have all the solutions."Now is your opportunity, guys. Get on with it.

Businesses in the area are concerned about the drab and run-down state of the Kippax centre as a whole. It is not just about a library, although that is one very important aspect that people ring me about all the time. It is about the dilapidation and unattractiveness of the place that are deterring people from going there and setting up business there.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .