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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 07 Hansard (Wednesday, 30 June 2004) . . Page.. 3037 ..

MR SPEAKER: The member’s time has expired. Mr Smyth, do you have a supplementary question?

MR SMYTH: Yes, I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Chief Minister, why does the Canberra plan not do wonderful things for Tuggeranong?

MR STANHOPE: The Canberra plan is a very good plan. The Canberra plan is the first plan delivered by a government since self-government that looks to the future of the ACT. The Canberra plan is the first time any government since self-government has asked the hard questions about the future of this town. It has developed, through the spatial plan, the first serious attempt at planning the future of the city—looking at what it is that we need to do to develop and generate a truly sustainable future for us and future generations. A sustainable plan will deliver that.

The social plan has been embraced by every community sector organisation that I deal with in the community. The social plan has been embraced by everybody in this community that is concerned about delivering services and enhancing the delivery of services to those people within this community who battle; who are on the edge; who live with poverty; and who struggle with dysfunctional family, drug abuse or homelessness.

There is not a single, dedicated community organisation in the ACT that will not or does not accept that the social plan is a very good step forward in relation to our commitment to the delivery of services to people in this community who have difficulty participating in what the community has to offer.

Mr Smyth: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The supplementary question was: why is the Canberra plan not doing wonderful things for Tuggeranong? Perhaps the minister could come to the point of the question.

MR SPEAKER: The Chief Minister was singing the praises of the Canberra plan. He is entitled to sing the praises of the Canberra plan if you ask him a question about it.

Teachers enterprise agreement

MR HARGREAVES: Mr Speaker, my question, through you, is to the Minister for Industrial Relations. Can the minister please outline to the Assembly the benefits ACT public sector employees and teachers will receive, outside pay increases, as a result of the successful enterprise bargaining negotiations?

MS GALLAGHER: I thank Mr Hargreaves for the question. The issue of resolving enterprise bargaining agreements in the public sector, of course, very important. I am pleased to say that, both in the clerical area and in the teaching area, the government has reached in principle agreement with the unions we negotiate with for their enterprise agreement. These agreements deliver not only substantial wage increases but also substantial improvements in conditions.

It has been the view of this government since coming to office that we should bargain collectively with our employees and that we needed to address the shortfall in wages the previous government provided to the public sector. We came to government with

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