Page 106 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 15 February 2011
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they do not care and do not understand the impact of regulation on business. The result of the so-called reforms that we saw late last year in the ACT will be that the big will get bigger and smaller traders will be squeezed out.
The ACT minister would do well to take a leaf out of his Victorian counterpart’s book and provide some relief to small traders and licensees with good records that do not present a risk to the public.
Economy—cost of living pressures
MS LE COUTEUR (Molonglo) (5.40): I want to speak briefly, because I was unable to do so in the cost of living debate. I just want to follow on from the comments that Ms Gallagher made. She made the comment that the debate was ideological. I have to agree somewhat with her. Unfortunately, she did not include the Greens ideology as one that she considered.
The Greens are looking at costs of living from a long-term point of view. All we are trying to do is ensure that, in the long term, we create a human society which is sustainable and which, over the long run, will be the least cost for humans and the least cost for the planet on which we live. So, yes, I would have to agree with Ms Gallagher—this is an ideological debate at its heart. We are talking about long-term sustainability and the long-term lower cost of living for everybody.
HeartKids
MR COE (Ginninderra) (5.41): Today I rise to talk about a very special charity that I had the great pleasure of supporting late last year. HeartKids is a charitable organisation made up of volunteers that offer support to families of children suffering from childhood heart disease. At its core, their mission is simple: to raise awareness of the incidence of both congenital and acquired heart disease among children. But it does much more than this. It builds a network of support, pairing families who are
facing the same hurdles of heart disease, providing them with the opportunity to share common experiences, anxieties and challenges together. It provides information about hospital stays, from such simple things like where to stay; where to eat and how to get there to the really important decisions, such as what options are available to the families.
HeartKids lobby both the government and the medical community to adopt best practice policies in the treatment and prevention of heart disease. It is hoped that their efforts to raise awareness will have a significant impact not only on the incidence of childhood mortality from this disease but also in significant improvements in the quality of life for those living with this disease.
None of this would be possible without the fundraising efforts of countless volunteers and the events they organise. I was able to attend one such event—the HeartKids hill climb—in November last year. Now in its second year, the rally takes place near the airport on a one-kilometre circuit track, with contestants competing for the quickest times. There were 31 cars on show. The cars themselves were complemented by a great range of drivers of all ages, the youngest being just 14. The 10 HeartKids
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