Page 106 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 9 December 2008
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MR SESELJA: It was for a couple of years; at $310,000 it started cutting out. That is when you can stop getting assistance, and we will phase it out from then.
Mr Barr: I think it is $420,000. Try $420,000.
MR SESELJA: That is when it totally phases out, of course. Of course, two teachers on a median income of about $60,000 to $65,000 each do not qualify anyway. It does not matter what price they are buying it for, they do not qualify. So this has been their record on giving concessions to first homebuyers. It is a dismal one that is contradicted by their federal colleagues now, who are actually looking to help people into their first homes as a result in particular of the economic slowdown. But we believe there are other reasons for that, particularly with the high price of land caused by Simon Corbell’s deliberate slowdown.
We see in the Chief Minister’s speech that the government will continue to upgrade local shopping centres and playgrounds and expand our footpath and cycle path programs. Of course, they have been forced to do the footpath and cycle path programs, but with the local shopping centres and playgrounds, we saw their attitude prior to the election—$2 million for maintenance in an election year, no money after that. So we saw their attitude to looking after local shopping centres. They will tidy them up and make them look nice before the election, with no money after that point.
The Chief Minister then touts the credentials of the government in duplicating the GDE. He claims this as a victory, that they are now going to put the people of Gungahlin and Belconnen through further delays because they did not get it right in the first place. This is somehow a victory. He panicked before the election and announced through a late-afternoon, 5.45 press release that he would be duplicating the GDE. We need to have long-term vision in infrastructure. We saw it with the airport. This government waits for there to be a problem, it waits for there to be a bottleneck, before it upgrades.
Interestingly, I had a briefing from the NCA in relation to what is happening with the Kings Avenue overpass—Kings Avenue and Parkes Way. They are saying that they want a plan. They believe what they will do in the short term will actually be too much, but they are planning for the next 30 or 40 years. That is what we want from this government; that has not been the record so far. We can only hope that there will be a change of approach over the next four years and that the people of Canberra will get the government they deserve, rather than more of the same from Jon Stanhope, Katy Gallagher and the rest of the crew.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Portfolio responsibilities
Ministerial statement
MS GALLAGHER (Molonlgo—Treasurer, Minister for Health, Minister for Community Services and Minister for Women) (4.37), by leave: I thank the Assembly for giving me the opportunity to outline my priorities for this term of government. I make
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