Page 1893 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 2 June 2015
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MADAM SPEAKER: Normally the point of order would refer to the standing orders. I could interpolate, given the number of points of order that Mr Hanson has taken today, that he is making a point of order under standing order 118(a). I ask the minister to be directly relevant and to answer the question, which is: basically, how much does it cost to build a new classroom?
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Minister, how many classrooms could have heating or cooling installed for $800 million?
MS BURCH: I thank those opposite for the questions. We have six minutes until 3 o’clock. I cannot wait for the end of question time today, as we will then hear from the Chief Minister when he delivers a very sound budget for the ACT. The question was in relation to the number of heating and cooling systems that could be purchased. I ask those on the other side of the chamber to reflect—
MADAM SPEAKER: That is not how question time works. Answer the question according to the standing orders.
MS BURCH: that you do not necessarily need a unit to ensure that you have good thermal control in buildings. With smart design and good outlay, we are striving for environmental sustainability and a six-star rating in our buildings, and with being carbon neutral within our schools. It is not a simple equation of the number of classrooms equalling the number of heaters.
Roads—congestion
MS FITZHARRIS: My question is to the Minister for Roads and Parking. Minister, I understand that consultation has taken place in Tuggeranong and Gungahlin on future road upgrades. How have the responses to these consultations reflected the need to reduce growth in congestion which was recently outlined in a report by Infrastructure Australia?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Fitzharris for her question. The road network in the ACT needs to keep up with the pace of our rapid population growth; otherwise we face the very real risk of key transport corridors exceeding capacity. In particular, urban transport decisions need to complement land use decisions as well. If nothing is done to upgrade our local road network now, the anticipated delays, queuing and congestion are estimated to cost about $700 million by 2031. Not only would these delays have a large impact on the economy but also they would present an unfair loss of time on the daily lives of the residents of the ACT. Cities which have relied mostly on private cars for transport options, such as Los Angeles, for example, see commute times which I would never wish to see for Canberrans across the territory. I cannot think of anyone who enjoys sitting in traffic for hour upon hour first thing in the morning.
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