Page 1443 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 March 2012

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video


“(g) the $6 million commitment from the Federal Government for programs planned for the Centenary celebrations in 2013;

(h) the Federal Government’s commitment of $20 million in capital funding for the Arboretum; and

(i) the $24 million commitment from the ACT Government since 2006-2007 for programs planned for the Centenary celebrations in 2013;”.

(3) Insert new subparagraphs (2)(c), (d) and (e):

“(c) the Federal Government to continue to at least match on a dollar-for-dollar basis the funds committed by the ACT Government to programs planned for the Centenary celebrations in 2013;

(d) the Federal Government to ensure adequate funding to the National Capital Authority to enable this agency to contribute effectively to the Centenary celebrations in 2013; and

(e) all Members of the Federal Parliament to provide support for actions the Federal Government undertakes to achieve (2)(c) and (d);”.

(4) In paragraph (3), omit the word “all”.

(5) Add new paragraph (4):

“(4) calls on the Speaker to write to the leaders of all political parties and to all independents in the Federal Parliament advising them of the terms of this motion.”.

I am pleased that officials from all of our offices were able to get together by email and by a brief meeting after question time. What these amendments will now do is elevate the motion to say that the centenary of Canberra next year is a national event. It is an event of national significance. It concerns the “founding of the centenary of Australia’s capital city” and those words would now come in after the word “notes”.

The first of my amendments is to omit subparagraph 1(f), to take out some gratuitous comments that we always get from the minister about who supports which bit of which budget over time, and then insert as a new way the words “national significance of celebrating the foundation of the centenary of Australia’s capital city”. That will then necessitate the existing subparagraphs (a) through (e) becoming (b) through (f), and it will add three new subparagraphs (g), (h), and (i). New subparagraph 1(g) will note the $6 million commitment from the federal government for programs planned for the centenary celebrations in 2013, 1(h) the federal government’s commitment of $20 million in capital funding for the arboretum and 1(i) the $24 million commitment from the ACT government since 2006-07 for programs planned for the centenary celebrations in 2013.

In the existing paragraph 2 of the motion there are two subparagraphs (a) and (b) that call on the ACT government to do something, to which we seek to add another three.


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video