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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Wednesday, 25 August 2004) . . Page.. 4189 ..

MR SPEAKER: Cost-weighted.

MR SMYTH: Sorry, my apology—cost-weighted separations.

I would like to talk about what Mr Quinlan offered, which again, as always, was very little. Mr Quinlan asserts stuff and then walks away from the wreckage. He makes the constant assertion that, “We’re the first government that has put together a strategic plan.” Well, Mr Speaker, I am holding up a document that sets out the ACT strategic plan. The document is entitled Canberra: a Capital Future. What was the date? It was 1996. Fancy that—Canberra 1996. This document sets out where we saw the ACT going. We talked about priority actions. We asked who is the lead act, who is the lead agency and what needs to happen across all the areas of the ACT? So there is a strategic plan. It was put together by the previous government and it really worked.

You can look at any page. Page 26 identifies critical infrastructure projects that are required. This was the previous government listening to the community. What did the community say to the previous government about what they wanted in terms of infrastructure? They wanted an upgrade of the Barton Highway, a very high speed train project, an upgrade of the Canberra airport to international standards, completion of the duplication of the Federal Highway and improvements to the Monaro Highway. And what happened? We delivered.

The upgrade to the Barton Highway—done. The very high speed train was out of our control. We were keen to do it but you had to get the New South Wales Labor government to agree. Upgrade of the Canberra airport to international standards—under way; completion of the duplication of the Federal Highway—done; improvement to the Monaro Highway—done.

I ask members to open any page of any report, of any plan, that this government has produced and try to tick off a list of achievements. This just cannot be done. It is not enough to say, “We spent our first term getting ready.” They have spent all their time getting ready. The only legacy of the Stanhope government that I can recall is that Supreme Court judges no longer wear wigs in civil matters. This will be the only evidence that this government ever existed.

The other day the Chief Minister hurried to open a family centre in Gungahlin but it is not even finished—the poor thing has not even been painted. If you apply the test of things, initiatives, started under this government and completed in their first term in office, you are left with a very short list.

Let us run through the list of things that were meant to happen. Prison—we have got a name but nothing has happened in three years. We are in a position where we could have started building. Dragway—“We will re-issue the lease; we will give them a 10-year lease on the site at the airport.” Not done, Mr Speaker. Convention centre—“Something will happen in the term of this government.” There will not be a lick of paint spread on the convention centre in the life of this government under Minister Quinlan.

Aged care—this is the pea and thimble trick; we are juggling things here. We can count 56 beds that this government has delivered in the life of this government. If Jon Stanhope

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