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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 7 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 2352 ..
Ms MacDonald
: We have provided parking for-MR CORNWELL
: I'm reading from the government's response, Ms MacDonald; you might have bothered to do so yourself.It continues:
College representatives have indicated this would be of particular benefit to College students, many of whom drive to school with their friends, and will encourage sustainable transport practices.
However, as we know from the television, there was something of a demonstration at the Lake Tuggeranong College recently. The students made the same point as we did: not everybody attends college at the same time. Therefore, the idea of three people travelling together in a car, whilst it may seem sensible in terms of petrol consumption and the ability to share vehicles, is not necessarily practical if you are attending a course which doesn't start for an hour or two.
The interesting thing was this: Mr Hargreaves was on that television program, suggesting that the government might have to re-examine the situation in terms of parking at Lake Tuggeranong College. Hello, it's gone very quiet over there.
I believe, Mr Speaker, that the matter does need to be looked at fairly carefully, because it is not fair to these students from one college-I repeat, in the ACT-to be discriminated against. This is a government that is constantly bleating about discrimination of all shapes and sizes, except, it appears, for students from Lake Tuggeranong College. It doesn't matter whatever you are, they will defend your right not to be discriminated against, provided you're not a student of Lake Tuggeranong College, in which case it doesn't matter.
I would also be interested, however, if the minister could advise me about another matter-an email, Mr Wood, sent to you, about paid parking at the Westfield Shopping Centre. This was from a retail worker at the Westfield Shopping Centre. He was wondering how he was going to pay for his parking because, as he pointed out, he doesn't earn much money. Talking of himself and his retail colleagues, he said:
... we do not get paid the high wages as you do I can not afford to give up two or three weeks pay for parking my car as when I start work there is no other way to get to work but use my car we should have free and safe parking you must come up with something to help retail workers if it was not for us there would not be any shopping centres.
You might like to respond sometime, Mr Wood, as you are a member of the government that is always interested in and has a total commitment to the workers.
I turn now to the question of refurbishment of shopping centres. At Budget Paper 4, page 177, half a million dollars has been provided for the Holder shops refurbishment. That is certainly welcome. However, it is significant that an upgrade of the Deakin shops in this financial year, despite a suggestion by the Chief Minister that this was going to happen, did not take place. Furthermore, the Duffy shops, which has been the
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