Page 1437 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 14 May 2014

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This government should be doing the business case requirements that the commonwealth needs to genuinely look at funding for the project. They need to do it quickly. They should have done it years ago. They have had 13 years. Mr Rattenbury said at one stage that there is a lot of work to be done for big projects like this. Yes, he is right. And it has not been done. It has not been done in 13 years. That is the point.

We are simply saying that if, as the Chief Minister said, they have a strong commitment to the project, they should put the money in the budget. The money in the budget appeared for capital metro. If you are as committed to this project as you say, put the money in this year’s budget. Shave a bit off capital metro. I have no doubt that there will be additional funding for capital metro in this coming budget from the ACT government. Shave the $8 million or $10 million that is required to get the convention centre shovel-ready so that we can go back to the feds and get some of the infrastructure funding that they have said they will be spending over the coming years back into the ACT.

It is a very simple request; it is a very logical request. Everybody has said they are in favour of it; let us make a reality of it. Let us stop talking about it and do the job that is required to get this piece of infrastructure into the ACT so that we can become a Canberra meeting place by name and a Canberra meeting place through what we say and do. Let us highlight exactly what Mr Rattenbury and others have said through the rally group so that we can showcase all the excellent work done at our universities and our institutions, we can be a place where the big issues are discussed, and we can hold the conferences and business meeting events that we should be able to hold in this city as the nation’s capital.

That is why this motion should be supported today and that is why this amendment should not be supported.

Question put:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 9		Noes 8
Mr Barr	Ms Gallagher	Mr Coe	Ms Lawder
Ms Berry	Mr Gentleman	Mr Doszpot	Mr Smyth
Dr Bourke	Ms Porter	Mrs Dunne	Mr Wall
Ms Burch	Mr Rattenbury	Mr Hanson
Mr Corbell		Mrs Jones

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

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