Page 533 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 8 March 2011
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that school. As I drive past Kingsford Smith school now and I look at the new facilities for kids of west Belconnen and I look at the enrolments in those schools, I know that I made the right decision.
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, I will warn you.
MS GALLAGHER: It was a hard decision, and it was a different decision to decisions that had been taken by governments before. But I have no doubt for the kids of west Belconnen it was the right one.
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, you are warned.
MS GALLAGHER: And I did not lie. What I did was look at the evidence presented to me as minister for education and respond to that evidence. It was the same with Calvary. The government was keen and made clear to the community that we wanted to spend hundreds of millions of dollars improving health facilities across the ACT. That was what we went to the election with—a very clear plan about investing in hospital facilities across the ACT—and nothing has changed. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent to make sure that we have the best health system that our city deserves so that my children and your children and the children that come after them will be able to be treated and cared for in facilities that are second to none in this world. That is what they will be, and again I stand by those decisions, and I have no doubt that in 2012 I will be measured upon them.
I do not take the electorate for granted. I come to work every day to work hard for my community, to represent them, and again, just in case Mr Seselja is going to continue on this personal line of attack, I will never lie to my community. It is something that I have taken enormous offence at this afternoon, Mr Seselja—
Mr Seselja interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: You can continue harping on about it—
Mr Seselja interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Seselja, you are warned.
MS GALLAGHER: hoping, like Tony Abbott, that you get some traction. But you will not, because the people of Canberra are smarter than you. They understand difficult issues facing ministers. They understand that policy imperatives change. They understand that governments have to respond to issues outside or inside of electoral timetables—and they expect the government they elect, particularly here in the ACT, to work with other Assembly members to deliver the best outcome they can have for their community. That does not mean stuck in a time warp—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
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