Page 3044 - Week 08 - Thursday, 7 August 2008
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go anywhere near Macarthur and it does not go anywhere near Fadden. So the answer to Mr Pratt’s question is: if you blokes had not got in the way, it would have been done by now!
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Pratt.
MR PRATT: Minister, why did you not do the job properly in the first place, as argued by the NRMA? Is it not true that you had no intention of duplicating the GDE within the next four to five years? Do not mislead the place! Just be careful!
MR SPEAKER: Mr Pratt, withdraw the imputation.
MR PRATT: It was a question.
MR SPEAKER: You cannot impute those sorts of things in the question.
Mr Smyth: You can, to John.
MR SPEAKER: No, you cannot. Just withdraw.
MR PRATT: Just so that we do not have any confusion, I withdraw, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr Pratt, and you will not interject. Mr Hargreaves, please direct your comments to the question.
MR HARGREAVES: We have delivered the road. People are driving on the GDE. It has been delivered. We have always intended to duplicate the road. It was in our forward planning, our indicative planning. We made some very significant economic decisions in 2006 which are now bearing fruit. The economic strength of the ACT has now got to the stage that we can get on and do it.
What will happen is that the Caswell Drive element will be done. There is provision in the budget—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR HARGREAVES: These guys over here do not know what provision is. It is an accounting term—accounting 101. Mr Pratt ought to go and see Mr Smyth for a lesson in accounting 101. That is where the money is provided to do it for the next four years. These guys have got to understand that the budget papers talk about four years into the future and the infrastructure fund. Budget paper No 5, page vii, says that there is $83 million to duplicate it. When did the budget come down?
Mr Pratt: Where was your commitment in April?
MR SPEAKER: Mr Pratt, I warn you. No more, please.
MR HARGREAVES: When was the budget provided to this place? Months and months ago. Did the Assembly, through its committee on estimates, have an opportunity to read budget paper 5, page vii? Yes. Were they sitting on that
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