Page 2171 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 22 June 2010
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MR STANHOPE: I can understand Mr Coe’s embarrassment. But he raises a matter of such public importance that the business of today is deemed relevant to be interrupted by a full one hour of debate on this matter of such significant public importance that Mr Coe gives us a commentary, a spelling lesson, and, as soon as the spelling lesson is concluded, Mr Coe sits down. It really does, does it not—
Mr Coe: It is tough.
MR STANHOPE: No. I think it is hard for the poor old Liberal Party when it comes to discussing infrastructure. We know why it is they want to talk about spelling, because their record on infrastructure is absolutely appalling. The centrepiece of six years in government was, of course, Bruce Stadium. So let us talk about—
Mr Hargreaves: What colour was that stadium, Jon? What colour was it?
MR STANHOPE: Do not be that mean, do not be that cruel, Mr Hargreaves, as to go straight to the painting of the grass. We can look at those halcyon Liberal days in relation to infrastructure. We can look at the record of achievement. We can look at their $50 million a year of infrastructure delivered and we can actually list it. We can list it in the context of Bruce Stadium, feel the power, the futsal slab et cetera.
We do now know why it is that Mr Coe sat down as soon as he got to the matter of public importance after he had had his fun with spelling. That actually revealed the Liberal Party’s intent and seriousness in relation to this debate. He then said: “Actually I do not have anything to say about infrastructure. I do not have the capacity to talk about the Liberal Party’s record of achievement in relation to infrastructure because they do not have one. I do not have the capacity to talk about the Liberal Party’s vision for Canberra as expressed through the development and the prioritising of infrastructure. I do not have the capacity to talk about this city’s infrastructure needs because I do not know, because I have never paid attention and because I am more interested in standing up and making an attempt at a humorous debate around spelling.”
Mr Coe: Press the F5 button, Jon.
MR STANHOPE: Mr Coe, it really was a pathetic attempt, almost Pythonesque. Nevertheless, I thank Mr Coe for bringing the matter forward because it is a matter on which, of course, the government has a significant record of achievement, a record-breaking and ongoing commitment for the planning, delivery and maintenance of high-quality infrastructure for the ACT.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne): Mr Stanhope, could you sit down for a moment. The level of conversation and interjection is pretty much intolerable. Mr Corbell and Ms Gallagher have spoken incessantly. I have asked people to hold the conversation down. Mr Coe’s interjections are overly loud. Mr Stanhope should be heard in silence.
MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Madam Assistant Speaker. The government understands quite deeply the importance to the nation’s capital of high-quality
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