Page 312 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2008

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then encouraged this minister and this government to get on with it. We said: “Hallelujah! Go for your concrete bridge. Move as quickly as you can. The people of Tharwa need that bridge as soon as possible.” We, like the people of Tharwa, took the government’s advice. Val Jeffrey, who was at that community meeting in October 2006, said to me, “Pratty, it looks like the concrete bridge is all we’ve got left, the only way to get on with this.”

It might also be noted that at the time the Tharwa community were split down the middle. There were others in the community who believed that you could hang out for a restoration option. So there was a bit of argy-bargy within the community. But let me tell you, Mr Speaker: very quickly beyond October 2006, the Tharwa community began to have second thoughts about this. They began to get the Brian Pearsons, the Powells and other experts coming to them and saying, “We believe you’ve been led up the garden path.” The opposition, at about the same time, began to pick up on this, and we encouraged the government to take notice of those actions. We knew in September last year that the New South Wales RTA had presented an engineering report to the government, saying, “You can restore the old bridge.”

I commend this motion to the Assembly. There must be an inquiry. We must find out what has gone wrong, for the sake of good governance.

Question put:

That Mr Pratt’s motion be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the negative.

At 6.00 pm, in accordance with standing order 34, the motion for the adjournment of the Assembly was put.

Adjournment

Mr Robbie Anderson

MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella) (6.00): I take this opportunity to celebrate the life of a man—a family man, a union man, a worker, a father, a scout, a footy player, a community contributor, a mate. Robbie Anderson, known as Tow-Ball to some of his mates, was born in Wagga Wagga on 29 August 1948. He moved to Canberra when he was 18, to work for the CSIRO. Robbie was a contributor; nobody can deny that. He played rugby for both Ainslie and Wests and won premierships for them too. Every year he raised money for CareFlight and the Royal Blind Society, and shaved his head for Kids with Cancer. He was a proud member of the Transport Workers

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