Page 2278 - Week 07 - Thursday, 23 June 2005
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There are some other parallels you might draw. Colin Barnett really blew it with what was affectionately known as the far canal and messed up his sums. Denis Burke, of course, had the extra long power line and stuffed up his sums. And in the ACT, what did we have? We had the hospital with no staff and some sums that did not add up. So there is, of recent times, a consistency that we ought to observe.
While I am on my feet, I will confess that I do not, Dr Foskey, do a whole lot of housework at my place. But I have come to a deal with my partner where I do meet all the expenses of the cleaning lady and other services that are provided to the house. I do not have a great record in relationships, so you should not take a lot of my advice. But I do remember, in a previous life, offering to do all the vacuuming in the house, every week or whenever necessary, provided I could arrange the furniture. I did not have to do a lot of vacuuming in that house.
On a serious note: I think the points that Pru Goward made are very valid and we to ought recognise them. But we ought not to get too simplistic and we ought to recognise that relationships do need to be worked with as well so that we do not get the attitude of domain that I have made a little light of which can, in fact, impinge upon how tasks are shared within the house, because control has to be shared as well. When I do retire from this place—I know I am walking the tightrope—I think I am being lined up to be a house-husband; so I will just see how I can handle my domain.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, Treasurer, for saving our marriages.
Bowling championships
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra) (4.47): I will not go into any problems I have had with cleaning toilets. What I am going to talk about tonight is an excellent new peak sporting body and a fine group of ACT athletes who are an inspiration to us all. My colleague Brendan Smyth and I—Ted might have been there; Senator Humphries certainly was—went to the first inaugural presentation evening of VISACT, a peak body for visually affected members of our community. There were some inspirational performances from a number of athletes.
The team to represent the ACT at the visually impaired bowling championships in Melbourne was introduced at a fundraiser a couple of Saturdays ago at the Belconnen bowl, which both Mr Smyth and I attended and participated in. We were certainly made to look quite silly by a number of these very fine athletes who rattled up some brilliant scores. I thought, for a minute, we might do quite well when they dropped down the value of the strike to ninepins and then to eight, but that only served to see me get sevens and sixes and stupid things like that. It was a most enjoyable evening. There are about 26 bowling lanes there. I was delighted to see all but about three were being utilised as part of the fundraiser to send these fine athletes—there are about nine or 10 of them, I understand—to Melbourne to compete in these championships.
Steve Gregor, a disabled former athlete who suffered a very nasty fall in Cook back in 1996 and has mobility problems, is organising the trip down to Melbourne. I think they will do exceptionally well. I wish them all the very best of luck. I am sure they will do the ACT proud. I also wish VISACT all the very best of luck. I think it is excellent
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