Page 638 - Week 02 - Thursday, 14 February 2013
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ensuring government accountability, and the Greens strongly believe that these statutory officers should be made officers of the parliament, responsible to the parliament and performing a function on behalf of the parliament, ensuring probity of executive action.
I am very pleased and excited to be able to deliver all of the outcomes in the parliamentary agreement and to do that in a constructive relationship with the ACT branch of the Labor Party. These initiatives will make Canberra a better place to live. We will have a more open and accountable government, better natural amenity to enjoy, a city that is better prepared for the future, and more socially inclusive policies that better look after everyone in our community. These are the promises that the Greens have made, and this is exactly what I will be working to deliver.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Health and Minister for Higher Education) (4.20): I too am pleased to address today’s matter of public importance. This government has a proven track record of delivering on our commitments. During our last term of government, we were clear about our agenda, we communicated our plans to the community and we kept them informed of progress. At the halfway point of our last term, we were pleased to provide the people of Canberra with a report on our significant progress in implementing our previous election commitments, demonstrating that we were following through on our most significant commitment to the people of Canberra, an open and accountable government. We regularly provided progress reports as well on the implementation of the first parliamentary agreement with the Greens.
In relation to the 2012 commitments, the commitments we have made were considered and responsible. We have identified areas of need and strategic opportunities for investments. Our commitments focus on growing our economy, delivering quality services and providing opportunities for everyone. They keep us connected and on the move. They deliver the right service to the right people in the right place.
During the campaign we made a significant number of commitments to the people of Canberra, and those commitments were costed by the ACT Treasury. I am pleased to report that we are already working on implementing many of these commitments, and the people of the ACT will see a number of those funded in the upcoming budget.
At the 2012 election the people of Canberra expressed their continuing faith in us and in our direction for Canberra, and we intend to fulfil the promises we have made to them. The free centenary bus loop is up and running, with patronage growing every day. Construction of the new Majura Parkway, the ACT’s largest ever road project, is now underway. This important road infrastructure will provide a continuous link between the Federal and Monaro highways, providing economic, social and environmental benefits.
The new state-of-the-art Franklin Early Childhood School is the latest addition to the highly successful early childhood school model introduced in 2009, offering both schooling and child care to young children from birth to year 2. Students are enjoying the Neville Bonner Primary School, and we heard about that in question time.
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