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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 3063 ..

MR DE DOMENICO: Thank you, Mr Wood, for the question. It is about time that we had a sensible question from one of the members opposite about what ought to be a very bipartisan issue.

Ms McRae: Give us a sensible answer. Go on.

MR DE DOMENICO: Just sit down and listen. Just control yourself. Sit down and listen.

Ms McRae: Give me a good answer and I will.

MR DE DOMENICO: You did not ask the question. If you wanted a good answer you should have asked the question.

MR SPEAKER: Ignore the interjections.

MR DE DOMENICO: Thank you, Mr Speaker; I shall ignore the stupid interjections. Mr Wood, if you can do anything for this project you should ring Mr Langton and say, "Could you please agree, like everybody else agrees, both in the technical area and in the political area, that 17 different versions of the Tilt-train is not the way to go for a fast train link between Canberra and Sydney?". A great example, Mr Wood, is that the technical report has taken New South Wales close to six months to try to come to grips with. It has taken only six weeks to do the financial study. Can we see now who has caused the delay?

All these petty little things that Mr Langton has put out in his press release are a diversion from the real issue at hand. The big delay has been in the technical study. The delay in the technical study has been the big delay because of New South Wales's firm commitment to Tilt-train technology, which is outdated and outmoded. They ought to be looking at the main game, which is the best possible technology available, in the quickest possible time, to make sure that this region really benefits from a very fast train link between Sydney and Canberra.

MR HIRD: They are very predictable people. That was a very good question, Mr Wood. Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Sport, Mr Stefaniak. Mr Stefaniak, last week's welcome home parade for our Olympic Games athletes was an outstanding success, with around 20,000 people attending and showing their appreciation. I understand that a parade is being organised for our Paralympic heroes, whose performance in Atlanta was simply excellent, amazing and superb. Will the Paralympic athletes receive the same type of reception? In other words, will ACT schoolchildren be allowed to participate and welcome home these athletes?

Ms McRae: Wow; what a knockout question! Can I read his press release?

Mr Berry: Have you restored the funding yet?

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