Page 5216 - Week 12 - Thursday, 27 October 2011
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that she objects to Liberal staffers coming to her press conferences. This was in relation to, I think, a Liberal staffer or two Liberal staffers attending in what is a public area in the courtyard of the Assembly. I am aware that Ms Gallagher made a snide remark at the time directed at those staffers, which was somewhat un-chief-ministerial.
The point is that it is a public area. It is a regular occurrence that when I am giving press releases there will be a member of the Greens or Labor staff present. Not always, but occasionally, another member is waiting to speak and their press staffer and media staffer will come along and listen to what I am saying. I do not know why it is that Ms Gallagher expects that there is one rule for her and a different rule for others. She needs to realise that she has set the standard in this place.
I will reflect on what happened in February 2010 when the Canberra Liberals released a discussion paper on strategic directions in health. It was called The state of our health, and Mr Seselja and I held a press conference in the media room. At that press conference, Ms Gallagher’s media adviser came and sat in the front row and, throughout the whole media conference, sat next to the ABC journalist and fed him questions to ask. Afterwards I spoke with that ABC journalist, who said that he felt most uncomfortable. And, not surprisingly, he looked uncomfortable.
So before Katy Gallagher has a crack at Liberal staffers—or staffers from the Greens, indeed—about turning up to a public place where she is conducting a press conference, she should reflect on the fact that she has had her own staffers turn up many times to my own press conferences, and no doubt others’, and indeed situations where they have been there prompting journalists to ask specific questions. Katy Gallagher needs to look to her own actions and those of her own staff before she starts to criticise those of the Liberal Party.
Engineering excellence awards
Special Olympics
MR DOSZPOT (Brindabella) (5.28): I was pleased to be the guest of Engineers Australia, Canberra division, at their excellence awards on 28 September, a few weeks ago. I was very much taken by the organisation that the president, Ms Jennifer Murray, and her committee provided and their hospitality to all the award nominees and by the complete activities that took place on the night when the winners of the 2011 Canberra engineering excellence awards were announced. This is an annual presentation night that I always look forward very much to going to.
The winners of the awards categories for this year included the winner of the ACT government new technology and innovation award, ANZAC ASMD, active phased array radar, CEA Technologies. There were three engineering excellence awards winners: Kings Avenue overpass, National Capital Authority; Antarctic Broadband, definition and capability development by Aerospace Concepts Pty Ltd; and the ANZAC ASMD, active phased array radar, CEA Technologies.
There were also highly commended awards presented to the following three organisations for work they did: the generation II big dish solar concentrator
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