Page 2457 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 13 August 2014
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local area but are concerned as a whole about the development of the city as a whole as one great city where we all choose to live. I will do what I can in relation to this project to encourage this sort of sentiment across the city.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: Chief Minister, was there any discussion in cabinet about this letter prior to Minister Burch attending the TCC last week? If so, what was the intention of that discussion?
MS GALLAGHER: I do not disclose, and neither does any other cabinet minister, discussions that were held in cabinet, so I will not, other than to confirm that Minister Burch and I have discussed light rail. We have discussed land development in Tuggeranong. We have discussed community services in Tuggeranong. We have discussed child care in Tuggeranong. We have discussed municipal services in Tuggeranong—street lighting road crossings, shops, garbage collection, waterways, the health of the lake. We have discussed arts, CIT, schools—
Mr Smyth: Light rail?
MS GALLAGHER: Public transport, thank you, Mr Smyth.
Mr Smyth: Capital metro?
MS GALLAGHER: Well, I started with light rail, Mr Smyth, if you had been interested at the beginning. Certainly members can be very confident that Minister Burch is advocating in the interests of her local constituency very strongly to me as Chief Minister.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Chief Minister, was it your government’s intention to attempt to influence or intimidate the Tuggeranong Community Council through the words that Minister Burch used?
MS GALLAGHER: The community councils remain an important stakeholder in all debates across the city. With the people that are represented on those community councils—indeed, with the people that are representatives of Tuggeranong—my experience is that I doubt that there is any pushing or shoving, or seeking to influence any community council member. To get involved at that point, they are not shy wallflowers at all, Mr Smyth; they are confident advocates for their own constituency. We, as elected members, attend those meetings from time to time. If that means that we disagree at different points—and I have disagreed with positions of community councils in the past—so be it. That is one of the wonderful things about living in a place like the ACT, where you can attend meetings, disagree and respect each other’s position.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
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