Page 202 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 11 February 2015
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Mr Coe: You’ll be speaking on every motion, then.
MS FITZHARRIS: I would have expected that a Molonglo member from the Canberra Liberals could have been here to also express their concerns about Gungahlin as well.
Mr Coe: Hard-hitting.
MS FITZHARRIS: I will keep trying. As I noted in the motion, this government has invested significantly in Gungahlin—education, health and community infrastructure and services, recreation infrastructure and services and roads and municipal infrastructure—in generating employment in the town centre. As the Chief Minister has said, the investment between the ACT government office block and capital metro has provided a real stimulus to private sector interests to come into Gungahlin and indicate their strong intention to make major investments in the town centre.
This government has not neglected Gungahlin. I outlined millions of dollars worth of investment in Gungahlin, particularly in the last 10 years, and the overwhelming feedback I have from people living in Gungahlin is that they love it. They love the amenity and they love the physical infrastructure the government has invested in and the fact that it has helped to build a strong community.
Minister Corbell also talked about capital metro, and I note that, as it has been in the past, this was a robust discussion. I look forward to that debate continuing. As I said yesterday, I believe that capital metro is the public transport system we need for our future, and I believe we can afford it.
Mr Coe made this debate about choices and priorities, and I agree—let us have that debate. It is about choices and priorities. ACT Labor has made a significant choice to invest in capital metro and the first stage of the Gungahlin to city route. Mr Coe also made a comment, which Mr Gentleman alluded to, about what is driving the capital metro project. I was doorknocking in Gungahlin the very morning in September 2012 when the ACT government made the announcement that they would be investing in light rail. It was very clear from that announcement that this was an investment in a study that would lead to the construction of the light rail project. Does Mr Coe think that we should not be delivering on our election commitments from 2012? I will be very happy to have a debate with whomever the candidate might be from the Canberra Liberals in Gungahlin at the next election on ACT Labor committing to its commitment to deliver light rail.
Again, I thank my colleagues for their support of this motion today, my first motion in this Assembly—and I am pleased to have been able to move it—about my local community, and I thank them for their support. I commend the motion.
Question put:
That the motion be agreed to.
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