Page 1138 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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to history and an eye to the alternatives to war. I think a peacekeeping memorial is a vital ingredient in that story.
The particular memorials that have been proposed also intrude into the recreational area and open space around the lake and move outside the area commonly recognised as the ceremonial area to honour Australia’s participants in war. The lake shore is used by many, as we have already talked about earlier this evening, and for a whole range of reasons—runners, walkers, people kicking around a football or people simply looking for a bit of open space or perhaps enjoying the vista on that part of the lake. I believe the intrusion of these memorials stands to interfere with all of these activities.
Canberra’s beauty in part lies in its simplicity. The way that the Griffins moulded our city into the landscape really is a joy. The lines, the vistas, the sense of fit make this city a treasure, and we must guard against seeking to overcomplicate it, to clutter it, or perhaps even to love it to death. The size, location and messages contained in these memorials, certainly to my untrained and amateur eye, go against these very ideals.
I would simply like to conclude by observing that, whilst I am sure and confident that these memorials were imagined in good faith by those that have put them forward and whilst the message they seek to bear is one of great importance, that message is already well represented on our national stage. These memorials are, in light of that, unnecessary and I think would intrude into the fabric of our landscape in a way that is entirely unwelcome.
Minister for Health—statements
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (6.32): I would just like to touch on an issue that was covered in question time and later in the debate on the quarterly report, and that is the issue of Ms Gallagher’s honesty. I particularly reflect on the question that was asked by Mr Doszpot on 10 March, and this related to Ms Gallagher, who had made the comment a couple of days previously:
… I will never, ever, ever tell a lie …
As I covered in question time, I then asked a supplementary question of the minister with regard to her having written to the Little Company of Mary before the last election asking that they sign a heads of agreement and get that done essentially before the caretaker period. The minister in her response accused me of rewriting history and said that she was not the one that was trying to have a caretaker agreement signed. She said:
I was not attempting to have rushed through a heads of agreement. LCM at the time requested that a heads of agreement be signed so that discussions could continue through caretaker.
She then went on with some other facts and then said:
You can scrabble around and try and trip me up on this, Mr Hanson—but you won’t find anything.
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