Page 3606 - Week 10 - Thursday, 19 September 2019
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possible for her to catch the bus into Tuggeranong town centre. We delved into that further. I said, “Come on, Mary. It is possible.” We worked out where the stop was. She said that she means that she has to do so much walking to catch the bus that she may as well just walk to Tuggeranong town centre. And that is what she does most days of the week. She is 76 years of age. She is walking into Tuggeranong town centre while she can. Madam Speaker, we are all getting older, and we know that at some point she will not be able to walk that far. I am assuming that at that point she will just stay in her home.
These people are angry. They say to me, “Mark, what can you do about it? What can we do about it?” I have to tell them that in the short term there is not a great deal that they can do. I have urged them to sign petitions like the one that Ms Lawder has facilitated coming to the chamber. Ms Lawder, Mr Wall and I have been involved in media appearances; we have had kitchen table discussions. I know that at a couple of those they said, “It would be wonderful if Mr Steel could join us at one of these kitchen table discussions.” I am not sure that that is really likely.
Many of these people are on our side of 50, Madam Speaker. I tell them, “I am sorry to say this, but the Labor-Greens government is not likely to listen to you.” They say, “Why?” I say, “Because according to Mr Barr you are too old and you are too far south.” Too old and too far south! People over 50 do not matter. Tuggeranong does not matter. It is really important for us to put a flag in the sand and for us on this side of the chamber to say that you do matter to us: we will listen to you and we do listen to you.
I have a number of emails and letters here. I want to briefly mention Nicholas from Duffus Place, who is moving, partly because of the bus network. He is going to Woden. We are listening to you, and we will listen to you. Mrs Roy from Langridge Street, we will definitely listen to you. Peter from Wheeler Crescent was just ropeable; we are certainly listening to you. There is Dean from Balfour Crescent, and Frank and Paula from Balfour Crescent. There is Robert from Longmore and Sylvia from Sainsbury. There is Monica and her three girls from Gaunson. There is Felipe from Brooke Place, Patience from Holden Crescent and Arancha from Carr Crescent. We feel your pain and we will continue to trumpet this injustice extremely widely.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Scar trees
Ministerial statement
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Manager of Government Business, Minister for Advanced Technology and Space Industries, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (10.10): I rise to update the Assembly on proposed reforms and other work to improve heritage compliance resulting from the investigations of the unauthorised removal of two Aboriginal scar trees in recent years. I committed to giving this statement through this year’s estimates process, and I am pleased to provide this update to the Assembly.
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