Page 1167 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 7 May 2014
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Residents that I speak to appreciate and acknowledge our beautiful natural environment. Many of them play their own part in improving and maintaining the environment and good environmental policies. But, as I have said before in this place, environmental, social and economic policies must be equally balanced to ensure our communities are sustainable.
In short, the residents of Tuggeranong, Lanyon and south Woden, not to mention rural areas such as Tharwa and Uriarra, feel that their areas, their issues, are being and have been neglected or ignored by this government. To me, based on feedback from residents, these are the types of important issues that really make a difference to members of our community.
The government should be focusing on the issues which affect families every day, the families—whether they are in Tuggeranong, Woden, Belconnen, Gungahlin; anywhere in the ACT—who are working hard, yet feel like they simply cannot get ahead. The residents of Canberra want the government to make this the best place to raise a family, earn a living and get ahead.
Today I support Mr Hanson’s call for the government to focus on the real priorities, the things that would make life easier day to day for the hardworking families in the suburbs. I, along with my colleagues, ask the government to reassess what they are focusing on and start to focus on what matters to our city and its citizens.
MRS JONES (Molonglo) (11.42): I am pleased to add my voice to support Mr Hanson’s motion on Canberra’s real priorities—priorities that have been not only forgotten but neglected by this government. Despite what the Chief Minister says, we are not here to support you, the government; we are here to represent Canberrans and another way of governing, to ensure that there is proper process, to ward off mistruths, Orwellian newspeak, and to ward off any corruption which could occur. That is our role on this side of the chamber. It is not to be belittled or dismissed. It is a tough job which we are committed to.
Mr Hanson, Mr Coe and the other members of this team have already spoken about their concerns for Canberra—concerns about the way basic services are being ignored, concerns about the increasing cost of living in our city, concerns about the lack of affordable housing across Canberra and concerns about waiting times for people in our medical facilities.
This government have taken their eyes off some of the most important priorities for Canberra, the things that affect us as we work to have a home, to build a family and to get ahead in life. As a local member for Molonglo, I spend a lot of time talking to people across my diverse and varied electorate, from the most northern and newer suburbs in Gungahlin to the more established areas of the inner north, south, Narrabundah, Woden and Weston Creek. There are several key issues people continually raise with me.
First, some parts of Canberra are in a state of disrepair. The local shops should be the heart of any suburban community, a place where people can meet, do their shopping
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