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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 7 Hansard (18 October) . . Page.. 1827 ..

MS McRAE (continuing):

the better research about involvement in recreational activity, the better research about the link to health and sport - I will feel much more comfortable about saying, "Good on you, Mr Stefaniak". At the moment I think we have a long way to go. Your first statement was a major disappointment, and very little I have heard since has made me very secure that you are taking all of that into account while you are leading the charge on increasing the level of involvement in sport in the ACT.

MR KAINE (4.18): I wish to comment only briefly on this paper. Unlike other members, I was not disappointed by the paper. I thought that what the Minister told us is happening is very good. There are things that I would like to have seen in the statement. In fact, my biggest disappointment was that the copy that I got stopped at page 9. I think that page 10 was missing, and that was the one that talked about getting an Australian rules national competition football team here. We have a rugby league team, we have a rugby union team, we have a soccer team, we have a baseball team, and we have a basketball team. When are we going to have an Australian rules team? I think that must have been on page 10. That was, I think, the page where you committed yourself to $3m - a sum like what was put into rugby league - to get a national football team here.

Mr Hird: Rugby union too. Do not forget rugby union.

MR KAINE: He mentions rugby union. That is okay. That gets the go from the Minister, but I do not know why. I think all that good stuff must have been on page 10.

In connection with Australian rules football, I know that the other day the Minister had a letter from a number of children from Wanniassa High expressing their disappointment about the loss of the ground on which they traditionally played Australian rules football. They say that they have lost that ground to soccer. It was a plea to the Minister to reverse that decision. I add my strong recommendation to the Minister that he take that letter seriously and look at it. I cannot think of any reason why soccer should replace the national game of football on practically the only ground on which Australian rules is played in the Tuggeranong Valley. I know that there is a promise of another ground at Conder, although it is interesting that the same letter that asks you to intercede, Minister, on the question of the Wanniassa ground points out that the new oval down at Conder is not oval; it is rectangular. That, it is submitted, does not augur well for Australian football being played on a rectangular ground at Conder. So there are a few issues associated with Australian football that I think were left out. As I say, Minister, I presume that they were on page 10 and you will rectify that when you bring out your second paper in the area of recreation; you will remedy both of those faults.

I must say that I was rather astounded to sit here and listen to Ms McRae telling you what was wrong and how you were failing in your duty, when for five years she was in a government that did none of the things that she is exhorting you to do. She is beating you over the head because you have not done them, yet you have had the portfolio for only five months.

Mr Berry: We built a swimming pool in Tuggeranong. You will not do the same for Belconnen.

Ms McRae: Yes, we did it for you, Trevor. You got in on our pool.

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