Page 1122 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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It was interesting that Ms Burch has to cast around to blame people. This was not a blame-game motion. This was about keeping us informed. But Ms Burch could not resist playing the blame game and casting aspersions upon the Flynn community groups and talking about them as unrepresentative and all of these sorts of things. It is just the standard behaviour from the Stanhope government. If people disagree with you, it is all right to slag off at them. Well, it is not all right as far as I am concerned.
These people are my constituents and they have exercised their legal rights. The government may not like it, but they have exercised their legal rights. They are entitled to do that and they are entitled to do so with respect from this minister and this government and from everybody else in this Assembly. Just because this minister or Mr Stanhope may not agree, it is not their prerogative to badmouth them in this place.
Ms Burch needs to learn a few more tactics. She needs from time to time to recognise when she is complimented. She was complimented on the work that was done in relation to Baringa. It is an extraordinary refurbishment. It is fabulous, and everyone who works there is overjoyed. We should be congratulating the people who worked hard—and that includes the management of Baringa—to get that refurbishment, which is great. I visited Baringa the other day with one of my staff who is a pretty discerning consumer of childcare services, and she was just blown away. As a result, I know she has recommended Baringa to other people. I do not know that that is going to be much help because they have a fairly long waiting list, but somebody might luck it in one day.
What we are doing today is saying that we are looking forward to this happening. We are looking forward to it happening on time and on budget, and we will be watching to ensure that that happens. If there are any problems, we expect the minister to come in here and tell us and also tell us what contingency arrangements will be in place if they do not meet the timetable. That is what all this is about; it is keeping it all out there in the open so that everybody knows what is happening. I commend Ms Hunter for her support and the grace with which she supported this motion, and I commend the motion to the Assembly.
Amendments agreed to.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Lake Burley Griffin—maintenance
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (5.45): I move:
That this Assembly:
(1) notes:
(a) the importance of Lake Burley Griffin, its natural and environmental value and its cultural and recreational value to the citizens of the ACT;
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