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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 5072 ..

MR CORNWELL (continuing):

be delighted to know that there are some more coming. I would just like to read a couple of them, which certainly would not be in breach of the standing orders.

The sum of $300,000 was allocated in the 2003-04 budget for road safety improvements, but nothing had been spent by the end of the first quarter. The sum of $100,000 was allocated in 2003-04 for the Cotter Road bridge upgrade. Again, nothing was spent in the first quarter, yet this project is scheduled to be completed by February 2004. Somebody is going to be working very hard over Christmas/New Year.

I turn to the replacement of the Hackett boiler and the north Curtin ESB boiler upgrade. In the September quarter capital works reports, these projects are listed for completion in March 2004. No money has yet been spent. Again, who is going to be working over Christmas? Next is the water mains service at Conder 4. Mr Hargreaves was talking earlier about Conder. Apparently, $0.5 million was allocated for this project. Of that, $65,000 was spent at the end of the first quarter. That is reasonable; we are getting on with it. The only problem is that it was due for completion in November 2003. I presume that not only has it not been completed, but also the balance of the $0.5 million is still somewhere out there in the ether.

Under the domestic animal service, a veterinary examination room costing $100,000 was listed as a project. No money was spent in the first quarter of 2003-04 but, yet again, the completion date is listed as February 2004. So much for the importance of government services in suburban Canberra. Where are they, Mr Hargreaves?

It appears that the government has been a bit remiss in relation to other matters. Stage 3 water restrictions are applying in Canberra-at least, they are applying to the people that Mr Hargreaves has been talking about, the people of the ACT. I am not sure that they are applying to the government, because I have just had an answer to a question on notice concerning a burst water main at the Woden bus interchange which says that the leak in the service was reported to the faults and emergency centre at ActewAGL at 1935 hours on 30 October 2003 and repairs to the main were undertaken on Sunday, 2 November 2003. The repairs could have been undertaken earlier but were delayed at the request of ACTION to ensure that the bus interchange operation was not interrupted. The volume of water that leaked from the damaged service is unknown.

Come on, is that service to the people of the ACT? Why don't you practice what you preach? If the government wants us to conserve water, I suggest that the government and its agencies do the same thing. It is very obvious from this answer that there are two rules: one for the government and its agencies and a second one for Mr and Mrs Average out there in the suburbs. If we are going to apply these restrictions, I want to see them applied to government as well. This was a disgraceful situation. From 30 November to 2 November no action was taken on a burst water main at the Woden bus interchange. Thank you very much!

Turning to another area of government facilities and services-my old bete noire, graffiti-the government has certainly provided a wonderful service to the people of the ACT with the provision of graffiti all over Canberra! Mr Hargreaves mentioned that the government had responded so well by providing colourbond fences in lieu of perhaps more inflammable fences in certain areas. Many of those colourbond fences are now

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