Page 2235 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 22 June 2011
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Because of the credit that the Liberal Party will no doubt take from today, I look forward to hearing from them exactly the efforts that they have put in to advocating on behalf of their community. Mr Coe went to the issues of the residents of Gungahlin. I have not heard of one meeting that has been held over the Majura parkway, one effort that has been made by any of you opposite to argue for this road and to make those arguments heard by the decision makers. I do not mean just a meeting between yourselves—a meeting with someone who has actually got some influence around delivering this road.
It is opposition for opposition’s sake; sitting around and never lifting a finger to deliver an outcome for the people of Canberra. Here is your opportunity. Take credit, Mr Coe, your motion is going to get up. Why do you not head up to federal parliament, have the meetings with all the people that I have been meeting with say, “My motion got up; therefore I’m here to argue for this road.” The silence from those opposite has been noticeable. The lack of advocacy around this road has been noticeable until it got to the point where you sweep in and take credit.
The Labor Party, the government, are bigger than that. We will support your motion at the expense of our motion in order that we have a view expressed from the Assembly that this road is important and that members of the Assembly support its construction and the timetable for construction.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.46): I think this is one of those debates this morning where, if you were coming in from outside and you did not really know the context, you would be perhaps wondering what the hell was going on. But it became clear that a certain amount of this morning’s debate was an opportunity for the other parties to verbal the Greens. We have seen a fair bit of verballing this morning about what we do and do not believe. We have seen some selective quoting; we have seen a range of things. So I am very pleased to have this opportunity to talk about the Greens’ actual position on Majura parkway as opposed to what other members of the Assembly might assert it is.
Mr Hanson: Will you be voting for the motion?
Mr Coe: Does that include the other members that have spoken or not?
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Members!
MR RATTENBURY: And if you actually listen long enough, you might hear it. But I know that derision and rudeness are your preferred style, Mr Coe; so why don’t you stick with it? What the ACT Greens want is to actually see real transport solutions, solutions that will contribute to a convenient, sustainable and equitable Canberra. We believe that instead of building a new four-lane Majura freeway, the ACT government should make a strategic upgrade of the existing Majura Road and invest in rapid, high capacity public transport. We believe that is a real solution for bringing convenient, effective and sustainable transport to north Canberra. So for those that were not listening, what we said was that there should be a strategic upgrade to the existing Majura Road.
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