Page 2731 - Week 07 - Thursday, 3 July 2008

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manner, ensuring that our infrastructure meets the needs of the community both now and into the future. That capacity comes from the government’s prudent financial management.

The government is proud of its record. It has the vision, the strength and the capacity to build on that record. The government continues to focus on the infrastructure provision, with its building the future program. It is an integrated program. It has economic, social and environmental benefits. But more importantly, it prepares Canberra and the Canberra community for the future that we know is coming, particularly in health. We have done the work; we know what the data is saying; we know what the community is saying. We know what we have to build in terms of providing a healthcare system for when the health tsunami hits in 2016. It is a system that virtually doubles its current capacity. It is about new beds; it is about new buildings; but it is also, importantly, about staff and IT systems to support that infrastructure.

But the first decision that needs to be taken is that infrastructure needs to be built. There has been enormous local and national interest in getting involved in the health reforms and the health infrastructure. We have held expressions of interest meetings and we have had many of the big players from across the country come and find out what the government is intending to do. Now, with the passage of the budget, we will make sure that that process moves very swiftly so that we can have in place the projects that we need to run this year to get this program ready to deliver for the Canberra community in 2016.

MR PRATT (Brindabella) (4.30): The Deputy Chief Minister is blowing an absolute pipe dream. The government have demonstrated no vision. They have pooh-poohed any analysis of light rail or future transport plans and transport systems. We know, by their failure on the power station and the way that they have led ActewAGL up the garden path that they have demonstrated no sensibility or judgement in large project planning.

We have had five years of neglect on roads. All the money that is in the budget now for roads, while it is welcome, is there to catch up on five years of neglect. The Pialligo Avenue and airport precinct, et cetera, Tharwa Drive projects were bled dry by the government’s poorly managed Gungahlin Drive extension monster. Mr Mulcahy talked about the basic infrastructure. He is absolutely correct. Footpaths, shopping centres, drains are time bombs. These issues will have to be addressed.

MR SPEAKER: The time for this discussion has concluded.

Acting Speaker—appointment

Motion (by Ms Gallagher) agreed to:

That:

(1) this Assembly authorises Mr Stefaniak to perform the duties of Speaker for the period 20 to 25 July 2008 inclusive, during the absence of both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker from the Assembly; and


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