Page 741 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 29 March 2006
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budget deliberations.” When it gets to the page headed “sports and recreation” just turn the page and say, “We will not bother to read that page; we will just move on.”
MR SPEAKER: The minister’s time has expired.
MR STANHOPE: I seek leave to move the amendments circulated in my name together.
Leave granted.
MR STANHOPE: I move:
(1) paragraph (1), omit all words after “community”, substitute:
“(b) the strong and ongoing commitment to sport and recreation, at all levels in the community, by the ACT Government; and”; and
(2) paragraph (2), omit the paragraph, substitute:
“(2) notes that the ACT Government will continue to provide its outstanding support for sport and recreation, from community-based teams and organisations to the elite teams that proudly represent the Territory in national and international competitions.”.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (11.29): I will not be supporting the amendments the government has just moved on the ground that we have here something that has become a practice of the government, which is to not take on the nub of a motion. I will explain that a little bit later. Whilst I do not support the whole of the opposition’s motion, I support the substantive part of it. For that reason I will be supporting the motion. What we have here, as usual, is a lack of maturity to take on criticisms and thoughts when they come from elsewhere and respond to those as such. In his speech I did not hear Mr Stanhope once address the second part of Mr Stefaniak’s motion. To me that is the substantive part of the motion and indeed one of the major concerns of ACT sport.
Sport and recreation is a very broad category. At the outset I point out that not every activity under that umbrella is good for physical health. For instance, I would question, as I am sure members would expect me to, the benefits of a new dragway which its proponents might put under the category of sport and recreation for physical health. Let us not be too sweeping in our claims for the benefits of spending in this area. I give that proviso because a lot of generalisations have been spread around today.
I am not like everyone else. I have been lobbied by sporting organisations. ACT Sport representatives visited me and I found many of their concerns reasonable. Indeed, many of their concerns are similar to those raised by other community organisations. Nor do I believe that the major part of their submission requires an excessive dollar allocation. Their concern is that we need one point of contact for organisations when talking to the government about these issues.
The ACT has been very lucky in that Canberra inherited a legacy of excellent sporting facilities when self-government was declared. We had a very good start. I have no doubt that, in developing Canberra, the commonwealth recognised that in the
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