Page 2250 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 28 August 2007
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full range of instruments. If those teachers were practising principals in the orchestra, such an arrangement could be and should be how the school works. We have excellent programs in our primary and secondary schools. We should provide opportunities to develop those skills at a tertiary level.
In the context of a deal over City West, it gives the ANU a lot of expensive land on generous conditions, and perhaps a bit of hard bargaining on how to make those schools really work for us would be in order. At another level entirely, this government, not the ANU, ought to be supporting local music organisations that could assist in joint promotion, development and support for local bands. But it does not. Instead of Live in Canberra, it should be “live in Canberra”. It is spelt the same but it sounds and means something different.
Dance is also popular in Canberra with younger and older people. But with the loss of the choreographic centre, there is no locally based professional practice now to aspire to or to inspire them. We have seen the loss of some excellent companies over the years. We do not even have an annual Australian dance and theatre festival. (Time expired.)
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (8.11): Mr Speaker, in question time the Chief Minister ridiculed the opposition for asking questions about diversifying the economic base of the ACT. He said, “You only have to look out there. Look at the cranes on the horizon. Look at the activity. Look at the levels of unemployment. Look at the prosperity of the community.” Indeed, those things are true. But I do not believe any of it is as a result of the economic policies of the Stanhope Labor government. I want to contrast two lists and I want the community to know which government is truly looking after the future of the ACT.
Since coming to office, the Howard Liberal government has delivered for the people of the ACT the national museum, the new headquarters for IATSIS, construction of a national portrait gallery, two upgrades to the Australian War Memorial, work on Anzac Parade, a national police monument, a national SES monument, the National Library of Australia annexe, upgrades to the Barton Highway and the Federal Highway, school upgrades and upgrades to the mint and the national gallery. Then there is Commonwealth Place, Magna Carta Place, Reconciliation Place, NICTA and Epicore.
But, wait, there is more. There is the new Prime Minister and Cabinet building, the new tax office, the new transport office, the Centrelink building in Tuggeranong, the new AusAID building, Menzies Walk, the Australians of the Year Walk, the rose gardens at Old Parliament House, new defence buildings at Russell and other places, and the new ASIO building that will commence soon. They even upgraded Aunty up there on Northbourne Avenue with a new ABC office. Then there is the new DIMIA building at Belconnen, the new ABS office at Belconnen, the new IP Australia office at Woden, the federation guard HQ out at RMC, the upgrade of the archives building and more accommodation at the AIS.
That is the sort of list that someone from somebody’s government who is actually interested in broadening the economic base should be able to rattle off. That was the
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