Page 5195 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 27 October 2010
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The Gungahlin News also had an article relating to this and outlined the position. It said:
An ACT Government spokesman explained that the government was in favour of a 25-metre pool.
“The government is being guided by expert opinion on the features that will be at the Gungahlin Aquatic Centre,” the spokesman said.
“That advice is, including advice direct to the minister from swimming ACT, that the facility will be of the greatest use to the greatest number of Canberrans with a 25-metre pool …
What you are seeing here is a clear stepping away from the 50-metre pool and the government pushing the line for the 25-metre pool. I notice that again, as with the disability issue, when there is bad news to deliver to the community it is the spokesperson who does it, not the minister. The article goes on:
“Timing has also become an issue, with the community council president concerned about the government’s ability to keep this election promise.
“We are halfway through the electoral term. A pool was promised at the last election and was not delivered.
“This term is starting to run away quickly. I cannot see any chance of this thing opening its doors before the next election …
In the lead-up to the last election, the Canberra Liberals also promised a 50-metre pool and aquatic centre, at $22 million. We certainly stand by our commitment. I would like to hope, and I would be very disappointed if it were otherwise, that the Canberra Liberals, if we had been elected, would be delivering a 50-metre pool to the people of Gungahlin. We stand by that commitment. We would not be backing away from it; we would not be breaking the promise.
My motion is quite clear. It is calling on the ACT government to confirm its commitment to its election promise to build a 50-metre pool in Gungahlin. People do not like broken election promises—and that is what Mr Barr has already done by stepping away from his commitment.
We may yet get a 50-metre pool if we in this place and the community band together and argue for it. There is an opportunity here for the Greens to step up to the mark. They can join with us in demanding that this government hold true to its election promise. They have got an agreement with the government. They are in cahoots with the government. They could join with the Canberra Liberals today to get a pool for Gungahlin. We could do this within the next hour. I look forward to the Greens’ support for this motion to get the 50-metre pool that the people of Gungahlin richly deserve and were promised.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Minister for Gaming and Racing) (4.54): I have circulated an amendment to Mr Hanson’s motion that I will
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