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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 9 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 3286 ..


MRS BURKE (continuing):

Mr Quinlan talked of his doubts as to whether the facility would prevent our streets from being unofficial drag strips. None of us knows the potential for encouraging young people to channel their energies and efforts, do we? Nobody has done a study. That is something you could have done while you were in government. You could have done a study. You could have questioned the young people around there. You could have talked to the Chief Police Officer or to the young people in Braddon. The government needs to think outside the square, but it all gets a bit difficult.

What about the potential for the facility to provide vocational training in the area of motor trades-a multi-facility? There you go; I will let you have that idea. I will give you another idea, although we have already given you many good ideas. I am sure there needs to be a facility which can be used by many enthusiasts. I understand many will have concerns regarding environmental issues. No doubt Ms Tucker, as an expert in that area, will bring out some of the issues she has, but I do not know.

I also understand that the report done some time ago addressed, comprehensively, issues in relation to emissions and noise. I am sure a thorough study was done and that there is no reason why this facility cannot go ahead. We can always find reasons not to do something. What we need is for this government to stand by its pre-election suggestion, shall we say, to the community, and deliver.

This dragway will be an excellent facility for the city. Like Mr Corbell, I may not be a revhead, but when it comes to allowing other people, who are many in number, to pursue a sport which draws large numbers-and supporters-from outside the ACT, we should be going for this and looking at it strongly.

We need to be encouraging and boosting our economy. A strong economy means more money, more jobs, et cetera. It has a good spin-on effect. Mr Stefaniak has already mentioned a $6.2 million GSP increase and many jobs. I am sure they are not figures which have been plucked out of the air. Do you think they have been plucked out of the air, Mr Quinlan?

Mr Quinlan: They are not very good figures.

MRS BURKE: Is that right? I congratulate my colleague Mr Stefaniak for calling on this government to honour its pre-election commitment, promise or suggestion. I fully support this motion and his endeavours to continue to exert pressure on the government to deliver to the people of Canberra.

MS TUCKER (4.31): The Greens will not be supporting this motion. Firstly, I have concerns about the environmental impacts of such activities in the Majura Valley, which has ecologically sensitive areas. Secondly, I have continuing concerns about the government heavily subsidising motor sport activities in Canberra. I realise that this matter has been discussed in the Assembly for several years. I realise also that the Canberra International Dragway has faced, and still faces, a great deal of uncertainty.

I went to the meeting called by the Tuggeranong Community Council, where the proposal to put a motor sport facility at Macarthur was discussed. There were a lot of people there supporting motor sport. I spoke with a couple of them. They certainly did


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