Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .
Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 7 Hansard (24 June) . . Page.. 2355 ..
Mr Cornwell
: WIN Television, Mr Hargreaves!MR HARGREAVES
: I note the interjection coming from across the chamber, but I shall treat those remarks with the contempt that they're due.Mr Speaker, when I saw these students-and there were many of them-they had one placard between them. It had a great expression of their ire. Written in that grey and literary style were two words "Pay Parking". I thought, "Great education, this."Nonetheless, the message got through, as did their chants and their screaming. It wasn't lost on me, Mr Speaker.
But, Mr Speaker, I did something this time that I haven't seen those shallow, cowardly lot from across the park over here do in all of the time I've been here, and that is go down there, deliberately front them and explain it to them. As I said to them and to the media there, Mr Speaker-and I pass this message on to the minister- when there is a decision which affects people and they regard it as a problem, the government of the day has a responsibility to find a solution; or if a solution can't be found, explain why it can't. That's what I was doing down there, Mr Speaker; I was explaining the issue.
As you would know, Mr Speaker, there are a whole series of things that the people down there didn't know. I'm surprised that Mr Cornwell didn't actually mention these things. What he didn't know, Mr Speaker, was that this issue's not new; it was actually raised 12 months ago by a now ex-student of that college and now a student of the Australian National University-excelling, I might say. He brought the issue forward.
From that issue, Mr Speaker, ensued a consultation process. I can actually vouch for this because I was there. On a number of occasions the Minister for Urban Services sat down with these people and listened to their concerns, and out of those concerns a number of issues followed, a number of significant changes to the general rule of pay-parking. For example, Mr Speaker, the three-for-free hour over at the Lake Tuggeranong foreshore car park area has been extended by an hour to two hours. The students weren't aware of that. They are now, because I went down there and told them.
Mr Speaker, they weren't aware that when you got your ticket there it was a whole-day ticket; they could come and go, parking spaces being available, all day long if they wanted. They weren't aware of that, Mr Speaker. Why? Because no-one told them. Nobody on this side of the house, however, would go down there and rabble-rouse.
Ms Gallagher
: Was somebody grandstanding?MR HARGREAVES
: Yes, there might have been a dose of grandstanding; there could have been, but I don't know.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .