Page 3426 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 22 October 2014
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government is doing to pursue its own agenda, the people who are paying the price are the people living in the suburbs of Canberra.
This is a government that has got the wrong priorities. It is a government that has squandered the opportunities over the last 12 years. It is because of the work done by our forebears and the unique nature of Canberra that it is despite this government that we are the most livable city. But as we can see, if we do not change the path this government is on, that opportunity will be squandered and we will see a steady decline as the economy continues to decline, as the budget goes into further debt and as people simply cannot afford to live here because the cost of living—be it power, be it rates, be it housing affordability—becomes unsustainable.
There are things we need to do that that this government is not doing. We need to promote growth; we need to promote the right sort of growth in our built environment. What is happening to the city? Take a walk down Garema Place and tell me that is the most livable city you have ever been in. This government has neglected it, and our town centres have been neglected. We need to make sure that the growth in our suburbs is consistent with their unique characters. We need to get this economy going. We need to make sure that this is a place where people want to do business, not a place where people go and do business anywhere but Canberra, and that is what is happening with so many local businesses.
We need to better connect Canberra. A better connecting Canberra is not just about a single tram line from Civic to Gungahlin that is going to strip the dollars out of the ability to deliver a better public transport system, better parking and better roads. We need to make sure that this is increasingly a more livable Canberra. It is not going to be more livable if you cannot get into the emergency department. It is not going to be livable if your schools are full, and it is not a livable place if you simply cannot afford to live here.
I have circulated an amendment that hopefully you all have.
Mr Rattenbury: It’s only two words long and he can’t even remember it. He’s got to pick it up to read it.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Rattenbury!
MR HANSON: Poor old Mr Rattenbury.
MADAM SPEAKER: Hr Hanson, address your comments through the chair.
MR HANSON: I might be getting under his skin a little here. Dr Bourke wants us to say that we should continue with these wonderful policies. The point is, as I have just articulated, that the policies this government has now and the policies this government is planning to adopt in the future will be bad and are bad for this town. This Assembly should be calling on this government to adopt policies that will be good for Canberra—that will promote growth, that will connect this city and that will make it more livable. I move:
In paragraph (3), omit “continue its”, substitute “adopt a”.
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