Page 3407 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 14 November 2007

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for improving the city, $200,000 for new car park signage. I just simply ask the question that maybe this government ought to focus on priorities. Yes, we do want to see cancer patients treated; we do want to see these sorts of things done. But there is a lot of expenditure in this territory that is questionable. Look at this nonsense, Mr Speaker: $75,000 for a family and community fun day—$75,000. How is that an essential delivery for the people of Canberra?

Mr Corbell: Party pooper.

MR MULCAHY: Mr Corbell says, “Party pooper.” We should be able to blow the territory’s money on parties and propaganda exercises, but do not worry about people who are elderly. Do not worry about broken families.

Mr Corbell: Scrooge Mulcahy! Let’s cancel all the Christmas celebrations too!

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR MULCAHY: Do not worry about the people on fixed incomes.

Mr Corbell: Scrooge Mulcahy! Let’s cancel the Christmas celebrations while you’re at it!

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Corbell.

MR MULCAHY: Do not worry about them, those people have got plenty of money in their pockets, because Mr Stanhope looks at the average. But when you are sitting there on your—

Mr Pratt: It is not the Labor Party; it’s the party party.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Pratt.

MR MULCAHY: When you are sitting there on your $200,000 a year, I suppose life looks like it is pretty good. It is the most any of them opposite have ever made in their life but—

Members interjecting—

MR SPEAKER: Mr Mulcahy, just resume your seat.

MR MULCAHY: Yes.

MR SPEAKER: When I call for order, I expect to get order. Mr Mulcahy.

MR MULCAHY: Thanks, Mr Speaker. This is the sort of thing that we see when you go through the sort of outlays that we are told are life and death essential expenditures. I think the Beijing torch relay is going to be a great idea. It will be good media for Canberra; it will get a bit of television coverage; it is in the same time zone virtually. But I do not know why it costs $1 million to have the torch run through Canberra. That seems an extraordinary amount of money for this event.


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