Page 161 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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The Chief Minister says now this was really about just reserving land. But that is not what we have seen. Nothing in the detail of what has been spent or in what the planning minister has had to say on this matter would bear that out. You do not go and sign a marketing contract for a project to reserve a piece of land. You do not need to market that. People understand that you do not need to market it. What we have had in the end is a $6 million waste of money. What we have had is a proposal for a monument that is not going to go ahead.
As I said, barring Mr Corbell somehow getting the numbers in cabinet, this project will not go ahead. That is good for the people of Canberra, but it is time for Mr Corbell to go back to the drawing board and come up with actual plans that will get more people onto public transport, using public transport, and doing some of the things that he speaks about doing in this amendment that will attack all greenhouse gas emissions, because this will not. This would not have if it had gone ahead. It certainly will not if it does go ahead. This would be a monumental waste of money for the people of the territory.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Koomarri
MS MacDONALD (Brindabella) (5.01): I move:
That this Assembly acknowledges:
(1) the valuable service Koomarri has provided to thousands of Canberrans and their families since its initial establishment in 1952;
(2) that through its various programs and initiatives such as Pathways and the Community Access Program, Koomarri has ensured people with a disability lead full and abundant lives; and
(3) that despite the adversity the association has faced recently in regards to its new building, Koomarri has continued to provide invaluable support to its clients.
Living with a disability can be extremely isolating and, with around 19 per cent of the Australian population, or nearly one in five people, having some form of disability, it is important to recognise that people with disabilities can and do make substantial contributions to and participate in their communities if given opportunities.
For 54 years Koomarri has been giving people with disabilities that opportunity, and it has proven itself to be the leading service provider for people with a disability and their families. Koomarri supports and encourages people with a disability to lead full and abundant lives through achieving and maintaining employment, and by living and participating in their communities. Koomarri provides community support and employment services for more than 350 people with moderate to severe disabilities and their families in the ACT and surrounding districts.
While the association has consistently featured in the news, not many people would be aware of its history and how it came to be Canberra’s leading disability support service. It all started in 1952 when Mrs Muriel Pike, a social worker with the Department of
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