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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 8 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2285 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

in your election platform somewhere, Mr Hargreaves. I am sure you will be able to table it and show the Assembly where it is, now that you have started taking credit for things which started before the election. Hey, that is great! I am all for that-you go for it!

Point (d) goes on to developing sustainable public transport options for Brindabella residents. Again, where is the mention of car regos and parking charges? You said you would develop these options. In the spirit of those constantly used words-honest, open and transparent-where is the document? I know you will table it, Mr Hargreaves, because I am sure it is there somewhere. You will table, in your policy, your commitments to raising car regos and putting parking charges on the people of Tuggeranong.

We resisted putting parking charges on the people of Tuggeranong. Outlying areas like Tuggeranong and Belconnen have struggled over the years. The Hyperdome at Tuggeranong had a very rough patch when it first started and it is coming good and it is a worthwhile thing. But now you have slugged it. You have kicked them, and you did not tell them you were going to do it. I am sure that, when you conclude, Mr Hargreaves, you will show us where "developing sustainable public transport options for Brindabella residents" contains the commitment to car regos going up and to parking charges being put in place for your constituents.

Under public transport options, you also talked about the Downer to Woden cycle path. That again is an election commitment-and yes, you have kept it. Except, in the Gerritsen review, it says that, over the two years it would take to construct it, $1.75 million would be needed. Lo and behold, what is in the budget? We find $2.5 million. We said at the time, "You have underdone this one; there will not be enough money." And look-we were right. This is another election commitment that has been broken-that the Downer to Woden cycle path would cost $1.75 million for construction. Yet again we see a flaw.

It then goes on to point (f)-creating additional police positions. I guess there is a bit of contention over police positions, because it is hard to know whether there are 20 or 30, whether they will appear, when and where, and then what they will actually do.

It is quite interesting that it is announced in the government's press release that there is $675,000 or thereabouts for extra officers. That covers about seven police officers-but then there is a new DNA unit. My memory is that these extra officers would be out in the streets, but I suspect they will be used to staff the DNA unit. That means yet another broken promise. If there is a promise to put them on the street, you put them on the street. We would like that broken promise to be fixed, because it is particularly important.

MR SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr Smyth had the floor a moment ago, and he is just about to get it back.

MR SMYTH: If you want to pat yourselves on the back for commitments, you had better check to make sure you have kept them-not half, or sort of, kept them, but whether you have actually kept them.

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