Page 2175 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 5 June 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
of Mrs Dunne’s book and give me a phone call or knock on my door. If I can provide information, I will. I ask people not to wait until question time to ask a question about something that is occurring in our community that requires a considered response. I am happy to do that. But I ask them not to wade in here and tell me they are going to do something and then do something completely different.
Again, I put the call out. I am happy to take the calls or the knocks on the door to support and help out. Just before I got that question from Mr Parton, I was about to offer him some more information, but I was disappointed that he decided to make a public announcement about this particular complex when he could have come up and had a chat with me about it. I am happy to do that, and I have done it with him for previous matters. I wanted to mention that tonight and hope that we can get through what is a concerning matter involving a number of vulnerable Canberrans in our community.
Virtual reality
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (5.57): Madam Speaker, it has been said that virtual reality is the first step in a grand adventure into the landscape of the imagination. Virtual reality, VR, is the use of computer technology to create a simulated environment. For a long time, it was very much a Hollywood fantasy. Think Total Recall with Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Matrix with Keanu Reeves, or Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio. But virtual reality is a reality now, and the grand adventure is here with us today.
Back in 2016, PlayStation released a VR headset for gamers. Samsung has a VR system that works with your phone. In some places you can go for an experience which allows you, for example, to walk on a tightrope between two buildings at the 80th floor level. I attempted that recently in Shanghai, at Shanghai’s tallest building. I could not take more than one step onto that narrow plank before I decided I could not walk any further. Even though I knew in my mind that solid ground was just a couple of centimetres below my feet, I could not bring myself to keep walking when I looked down and it looked as though I was 80 floors above the surface.
It is not all about sky rises, fun experiences and big companies. There was a recent example much closer to home. On 21 May Volunteering and Contact ACT had their annual awards night at the Arboretum. Volunteering and Contact ACT are the peak body for volunteering and community information services here in the ACT. They drive and influence policy; they advocate for their members and stakeholders; and they are an active link for people, organisations and the government. I would like to put on the record my thanks to Volunteering and Contact ACT, especially Vicky Darling, the CEO; Sarah Wilson, the policy officer; and the other staff and volunteers who work at Volunteering and Contact ACT.
I attended the 2019 Volunteer of the Year awards along with some others in this place. Ms Le Couteur was there and some other MLAs as well. I was impressed, inspired and humbled by the range, the breadth and the passion of volunteers here in the Canberra area.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video