Page 4995 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 26 October 2011
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with the government that there is a need to prioritise our master planning exercises because we have limited resources. In cases where there really is no potential for change, it is better to tell the community there is no potential for change rather than spending time on consultation that has no possible outcome.
What we would like to see in Calwell is good planning and aged care being prioritised. Both of these need to be prioritised, and I think that Ms Bresnan’s amendment has a good balance and will achieve that.
MR DOSZPOT (Brindabella) (11.47): I welcome the opportunity to support the motion of Mr Smyth. He has been a tireless worker for the people of Calwell and the Tuggeranong Valley and, like me, he is passionate about ensuring families in this area are not forgotten by those who sit on the government benches opposite and, needless to say, our crossbench partners, who say they support the community of Calwell in much greater fashion than we would have expected here this morning.
Mr Barr: So are you in the transition yet, Steve? Who are you representing? Tuggers?
MR DOSZPOT: Mr Barr, you will see how much of a transition I am in in a few weeks, and I look forward to our debates on Molonglo.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, resist having a conversation across the chamber, please, and address the motion.
MR DOSZPOT: I am sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker, but it is so tempting when Mr Barr is giving me some wonderful morsels to counter.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: It may be tempting, but would you please go back to the motion.
MR DOSZPOT: Some weeks ago I presented a petition to this Assembly on the concerns of those who have businesses in the Erindale shopping centre. Their concern was the government’s lack of understanding, its poor planning record in respect of development in the area, its poor transport planning and its lack of proper consultation with those who live and work and shop in that area. If we think that the problems that the Erindale people are having are bad, I guess there is no way of putting it other than it is a disaster when you have a look at something that has been given a fair bit of time to be planned. There has supposedly been consultation for months and months. But when the actual plans came out, the community was absolutely aghast at what they saw compared to what they thought was planned after proper consultation.
A few weeks later here we have another Tuggeranong community showing evidence of government neglect in planning. There is very deep concern that there are things that all of sudden have been discovered about Calwell, and all of a sudden the government wants to do something. Calwell is a growing suburb. It is named after a leader of the federal Labor Party from the 60s, Arthur Calwell, with streets named after Victorian politicians. You would hope that Canberra’s Labor politicians would at least show more interest, and I guess that is what they are trying to rise to now—to
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