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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 5071 ..


MR HARGREAVES (continuing):

I would also like to see resolution of the parking issue for students at Lake Tuggeranong College. I have met with students at the college on two occasions and continue to work actively within the government to see that this issue is fairly resolved.

Other projects that I will be pushing for next year include the duplication of Tharwa Drive to give dual carriageway from Banks to the northern regions of Canberra. It is a dream I have that the roundabout at Banks starts a dual carriageway which finishes at the other end of Spence-from the north to the south completely. I am also interested in promoting a light manufacturing industry in the industrial part of the Tuggeranong Town Centre.

In conclusion, I am proud to be a member of this Labor government that recognises that all Canberrans deserve decent government services regardless of where they live. Mr Speaker, you will notice that, with the exception of the Gungahlin Drive extension, I have not touched on any of the big ticket items. I am more concerned about services that are provided to people who live in the suburbs. Those big ticket items are for people who have a different role in government from the one I have.

Mr Speaker, I am particularly proud that I have played a role in the delivery of some of these services and that a lot of these things have come off. People out there in the suburbs need to know about the little things that have been delivered to them by this government, little things that were not delivered to them particularly well by the last government. That is not to suggest that they did not do anything; it is just to suggest that they did not do enough or anywhere near as much as the Stanhope Labor government has done.

Mr Speaker, I commend the motion to the Assembly.

MR CORNWELL (11.18): The motion is about the importance of government services in suburban Canberra. Who could argue with that? The only problem I have is that perhaps the absence of them should have been mentioned.

I was interested in Mr Hargreaves' delivery. It was very flat. I would have imagined that, if Mr Hargreaves was proud of this government's achievements, he would have spoken with some passion. I know that that is not always appreciated in this house. Nevertheless, I would have thought that he would have been proud enough to deliver quite forcefully a speech on the achievements of the government.

But there is a problem there. How can you deliver something passionately or forcefully when the achievements leave much to be desired, because that is the situation? I have quite a number of questions on the notice paper, Mr Speaker. Naturally, I will not breach standing orders by referring to them, save that as spokesman on urban services I have a responsibility to chase up matters that I find outstanding or that I wish to try to clarify on behalf of the people of the ACT.

I also have a considerable volume of answered questions. I have just looked through them and I must say that the list is rather depressing. I do, however, have a number of questions that I have not yet placed on the notice paper. I know that the government will


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