Page 653 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 9 March 2011
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held to account based on his record on these areas of core business, he would be thrown out of office, thrown out of the council chamber.
Many people tell me that Canberra was better before self-government, before 1989. We all know that the governance and funding arrangements were different back then. However, what did exist back then was a commitment and a recognition that the look and feel of the city is important. This is absent from this government’s ethos.
When I attend shopping centres, hold meetings, doorknock or letterbox, the overwhelming response from constituents is that Canberra is looking tatty. Whilst responsibility lies with everyone to do their bit for the city, it is a bit much for the government or Assembly to ask residents to put in whilst the government is not setting a good example. Can we expect residents to take pride in our city when the government, through the ministers, do not take pride in the appearance of our city?
In an Ernst & Young report of 2008, the authors stated:
As a result of the diversity of functions and responsibilities within TAMS, it is not easy to ascertain the exact nature of TAMS’ core business.
This quote highlights that this government has no concept of what Canberrans actually want. Members of the government only know what personal ventures they want to embark on. This arrogant and paternalistic view is not good enough.
If I might deviate slightly, for anyone listening to or reading this speech—when was the last time you saw a street sweeper in your street? In February 2009 I asked about road sweeping. This is the response I got:
There is a program of road sweeping in the ACT. Arterial roads get swept once a month and residential streets get swept every three months. That is increased during the autumn when there is heavy leaf; that frequency is doubled in residential areas during the autumn period. There is a street sweeping program that we have made available on our website. If people have inquiries about a particular instance, we will inspect that, and that frequency can be increased based on this particular requirement.
I said:
So, in a nutshell, no street should go more than 12 weeks without being swept?
The response: “No.”
I would be keen to see how strictly that is adhered to. I believe that the vast majority of Canberrans do not care about the goings on of this Assembly, about territory politicians, about budgets and committees. However, they are concerned about the output of these bodies and processes. Residents want to drive on a smooth road, find a park at their local shops, have grass at the park mown, have the streetlights replaced when they are out, see a doctor when they are sick, and have access to good education for their children. These examples, and others like them, should be our priority. We must not be deluded into thinking that this chamber and our work as politicians are achievements in themselves.
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