Page 868 - Week 03 - Thursday, 30 March 2006
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The population of Queanbeyan/Jerrabomberra is in the order of 30,000. Let us put this in proportion. There are 30,000 people in Queanbeyan or greater Queanbeyan and there are 326,000 people in the ACT, so in that context we are looking at a part of the region which constitutes just on 10 per cent of the population of the region.
In fact, one of my sons went to Jerrabomberra. I castigated him significantly as to the loss of a vote and he challenged me as to the basis on which I assumed he voted for me. I asked him, “What are you going there for?” He said, “I’m going there because my wife’s family live in Tuggeranong,” and it is in the context of the south-north divide that exists within the ACT. That is a very real divide. For those of us who have lived here forever, there is a geographic divide among many of us as to where we choose to live.
Mr Stefaniak: Some of us can cross it.
MR STANHOPE: Some of us cross back and forth. Bill, of course, can cross back and forth on any issue—he does that regularly—as well as this. It was as simple as that: a desire by my daughter-in-law to live as geographically close as possible to her parents. At that stage, land supply was short and greenfield sites were essentially filling in Tuggeranong. The focus of development in the ACT is in the north. There are significant numbers of people who, for a variety of reasons, wish to live on the south side of the lake rather than on the north side. The opportunities today are not nearly as readily available as they once were or, indeed, in as good a planning sense as one might hope. Of course the coming onto stream of Molonglo will to a great extent have a significant impact on that north-south choice.
Mr Corbell: Mrs Dunne doesn’t support that.
MR STANHOPE: I am surprised that Mrs Dunne does not support that.
Mr Corbell: She doesn’t want choice on the south side.
MR STANHOPE: No choice on the south side. She wants people to go to Jerrabomberra. There, Mrs Dunne, is a challenge. Support the development of Molonglo and the coming onto stream of Molonglo so we can deal with an issue that affects the decisions some people make about the choice of location for their homes.
Industrial relations
MR GENTLEMAN: My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations. The Chief Minister has already detailed some of the negative changes introduced by work choices. Can you advise the Assembly whether ACT public servants will be affected by these changes?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Mr Gentleman for his question.
Government members interjecting—
MS GALLAGHER: I can hear those opposite saying, “No, not more of this; we don’t want to listen to this.” They are a bit bored with all the questions and debate that we have been having on work choices. But the reality is that this will be one of the most
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