Page 2128 - Week 06 - Thursday, 7 May 2009
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Another key element of this government commitment goes to capital works to improve the precinct around its environmental sustainability, and also access and parking. Anyone who has participated in sports on a weekend at that Lyneham precinct will recognise there is heavy demand, with the netball centre and a range of other sports through the playing fields, in both summer and winter competitions; so this investment will be very important for that precinct.
We have also moved ahead with funding for the sporting precinct within the Gungahlin town centre, including funding for the enclosed sports complex, to meet the needs of all of the major football codes. There is further money for the forward design of the Gungahlin indoor pool complex. There is $3 million towards the basketball centre of excellence and an $8 million investment to continue our investment in drought-proofing our sport and recreation facilities.
I am also pleased to be able to provide an additional $300,000 sponsorship to the Children’s Physical Activity Foundation. This is a very important preventative health measure, and very important to encourage participation. In the first year of the minister’s physical activity challenge last year, more than 14,000 primary school students across the territory participated. I am looking to build on that number in 2009. It was fantastic to visit all of the schools and to participate directly in PE programs with those schools, and I am very much looking forward to that challenge again this year.
Budgets are about choices—choices about how the government spends public money for the public good. In turn, choices are about values—values about how politicians understand the public good. The budget shows this government’s values: fairness and community, sharing and sticking together in tough times, engaging with the community about our plan to restore the budget to balance, investing in the city, investing in infrastructure, investing in health, education and the environment, delivering on our election promises—promises we have made, promises we have kept—and prosperity for the long term.
The budget reply from the opposition leader was also about choices. The choices he made tell us about the values he holds. I listened carefully to the Treasurer’s adjournment speech yesterday, and I know many other people did as well. And her words struck me. She said that Mr Seselja—and I quote:
… condones the behaviour and … condones the slurs, condones a very nasty and juvenile way of doing politics and it reflects the culture of this nasty and timid opposition, an opposition that has more in common with a high school clique than a viable alternative government.
The shoe fits, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was wrong earlier today, and I apologise. I labelled the Seselja-Smyth opposition as the dynamic duo—Robin and Robin. But the Treasurer has nailed them: they really are a high school clique, the six of them. They are not a parliamentary party; they are a little high school gang.
They remind me of the Heathers. There is Heather Seselja, Heather Smyth, Heather Dunne. They are the Heathers. And you can see them, huddled together at the canteen
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