Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 8 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2284 ..


MR SMYTH (continuing):

The next important thing Mr Hargreaves contends in the keeping of the election promises is the establishment of the affordable housing taskforce. Yes, affordable housing is important to the people of Brindabella. I wonder where, under point (b), the comment on conveyancing is, because it was in their election promises that the cost of conveyancing would go up. I cannot find it anywhere.

I am sure that, given their commitment to honesty, openness and transparency, somewhere in the announcements the Labor Party made in the lead-up to the election, acknowledgments were made about car rego, parking charges and conveyancing, all of which affect the people of Brindabella. I cannot find them, so perhaps Mr Hargreaves will stand and tell us how honest, open, and transparent their announcements were, now that we know how they will fund their promises.

Much is made in point (c) of the funding major public infrastructure projects in Brindabella. Mr Speaker, if you go to BP3 and look for the capital works, oddly enough these are all old announcements. These are things we foreshadowed in budget paper 3 last year, either with cash for feasibility studies and expected cash in the outyears for establishment and construction, or they are projects which commenced in the year 2001-02.

However, I will give credit where credit is due-something of which Mr Hargreaves' little speech this morning was quite bereft. Some of the initiatives coming up for Brindabella include an oval. There is money for the oval at Chisholm, which I personally believe is a very good thing. The unfortunate thing is that it has been delayed by planning concerns for some time. It is only now that that has been resolved-upon the successful resolution of the issues-that groups like the Valley Vikings are willing to commit to the funding of the oval.

That one is simply a process of time. Yes, there is $370,000 in the next year and then in 2003-04 there is another $95,000-well done. I think that is a tremendous achievement. The other one is the redevelopment of the Karralika facilities at Fadden and Isabella Plains. There are four design proposals to the value of $300,000. Mr Speaker, every single other initiative touted by this government can be found in our budget papers from the previous year.

I think people should give credit where credit is due. As projects have come due, we have moved on to the next stage of the project. The missing link between Taverner Street and Erindale Drive was accomplished this financial year. With the project to build the next section between Erindale Drive and Isabella Drive, that work was already under way. It was through the planning stage-and there is money in the budget. Much is made of it, but credit where credit is due, Mr Speaker.

We then go on to (d). This is the one I really like. I hope Mr Hargreaves has got his election commitments with him so he can point out where this one is, because (3) (d) reads that they welcome the early delivery of election commitments such as opening the new child and youth dental facility in Tuggeranong.

I am sure he will be able to show me where that was one of their election commitments because, oddly enough, it is in this year's budget. It is a previous Liberal government announcement-a Michael Moore initiative to upgrade an ageing facility. I am sure it is


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .