Page 1342 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 5 May 2015
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The tankers and the bushfire fighting unit there generally rely on the water coming from that old tank. That is the reason it has been a topic of some discussion here in the Assembly over quite a period of time. On 8 August I wrote to Minister Gentleman about ensuring the water supply for Tharwa. We followed that up in question time on 26 November to try to get some further information about ensuring the water supply for Tharwa and about what is happening with the Tharwa master plan.
People live in Tharwa for the rural lifestyle and the community feel. They choose to live out there because they like the feel of the place. I have spent some time out there myself. There are landowners and agricultural properties, rural lessees, many of whom have lived there for generations. You would struggle to shift them off their land. But there are other people who moved there on purpose. They have spoken to me about their troubles with telephone lines, with the internet, with some of the roads, with some local crime. I have spoken with the Tuggeranong police station about the rural patrol going more regularly out to Tharwa.
The villagers do very much feel ignored by this government. They would like to see some progress on the master plan. We have been talking about it for some time. If that ageing water tank had a catastrophic event, the village would be without a lot of water, most importantly for the purpose of bushfire fighting.
It seems quite bizarre that for an important community asset such as bushfire fighting we rely on a privately owned tank to protect the entire community. Tharwa village, if you have not been there, is a beautiful little village. You can pop into the shop and buy a bottle of water if you are on your way out to somewhere else along Tourist Drive 5, but it is certainly worth a visit. It is a lovely little rural village in the ACT.
Discussion concluded.
Adjournment
Mr Adrian Marron
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Disability, Minister for Racing and Gaming and Minister for the Arts) (4.31): I move:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Today I take this opportunity to acknowledge the significant contribution made by Mr Adrian Marron during his tenure as the Chief Executive Officer of the Canberra Institute of Technology. Mr Marron’s contract with CIT has come to an end. Mr Marron was appointed chief executive of CIT in May 2010. He came to CIT from his role as Managing Director, TAFE SA, Adelaide North Institute, where he was responsible for providing effective leadership to the largest of the three institutes that comprise the South Australian TAFE system.
Mr Marron has a sophisticated understanding of the policy agenda at both the commonwealth and state levels and he has an intrinsic understanding of the education
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