Page 2170 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 22 June 2010
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document. Of course, the opposition always read the reports that come before us. We put a lot of time into making sure that we can appropriately scrutinise the government and ensure that the Canberra taxpayer is getting good value for money. When it comes to infrastructure, we all know the people in Canberra are not getting money for their infrastructure dollar.
Page 19 talks about a lot of different plans when it comes to transport. I will go through the list. On page 18: “implement bus priority measures”—that is underway—“build Park and Ride”—that is underway—“implement smart card technology”—that is underway—“build new bus stations at Gungahlin, Erindale, City West, Barton and Dickson”—some of those are underway; there might be a bit of vision there as they have already announced it—“improve bus shelters”—that is underway—and “complete key road infrastructure”. Let us see if that has actually happened. That might be something that could possibly fit into a normal infrastructure plan. Then you have got all the other things which really are either just budget initiatives or pie-in-the-sky things that are never going to happen.
This is a great way for Mr Stanhope to spend taxpayers’ money on a shoddy report to pretend that he has got an agenda, to pretend that he is doing something for the people of Canberra. This document is a tremendous let down. It has been a let down for so many people and for all taxpayers in Canberra. I think Ms Le Couteur put it quite well when she said it was a budget with pictures. The people in Treasury tend to do a better job when it comes to spelling and the people in Treasury tend to do a better job when it comes to getting their facts right as opposed to what has happened here in the Chief Minister’s own department. This document is a disgrace. It does not highlight a vision. It does not show where the Canberra community is heading and it does not show how Mr Stanhope is going to be providing for the people of Canberra well into the next decade.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Land and Property Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (3.41): I am taken a little by surprise. I am surprised that Mr Coe ran out of puff after actually commenting on the spelling but failed to get to the infrastructure; so I do not know. But I guess it perhaps sums up the Liberal Party’s seriousness that Mr Coe nominates as a matter of public importance the ACT infrastructure plan and devotes six or seven minutes to the failure by the Chief Minister’s Department to apply a spell check on a—
Mr Coe: The department, blame the department.
MR STANHOPE: I must say I did not actually proofread personally or—
Mr Coe: Did you read it? Did you not read the front cover?
MR STANHOPE: I can understand—
Mr Coe: Did you read the front cover or not, Jon?
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