Page 1683 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 1 May 2012
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asked questions about whether or not there was bus priority, and there is not, and how this integrates then with footpaths and cycle paths. They do not seem to have been considered in this report. So you have got an inconsistency, then, with some of the goals of ACT sustainable transport. And I think, given the money that this will cost ultimately—and I think the whole upgrade was $32 million, should it go ahead, that is, in current dollar terms—then, of course, this is serious money. A lot of the work may be undone when you move to grade separation at Erindale and Sternberg.
With that said, I would genuinely recommend that the government look at what they are proposing here. It is a large amount of money over a long period. It is certainly work that has to be done. It is certainly a part of Canberra that has been neglected by this government in their roads program. We all know that the GDE debacle soaked up much of the money that should have gone into fixing roads like Ashley Drive years and years ago instead of getting to it here in 2012.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella) (12.17): I too commend this report to the chamber. I would also like to note, though, that there are three parts to this report; there is not only one. We can go searching for some bad news and if we cannot find any we can manufacture some; that would appear to be the case here.
We need to understand that the big piece about this is giving people some well-earned pay rises. How about we acknowledge the fact that that money has to come from somewhere, and I commend the government for being so prompt about that.
I did not hear very much said about the Malkara hydrotherapy pool replacement. That has got to be something for which the government should be—
Mr Smyth: You should have been listening, John.
MR HARGREAVES: I am not talking to you. Why don’t you just be quiet?
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, members. Mr Hargreaves, let us return to your speech.
MR HARGREAVES: I heard Mr Smyth in silence—and I expect the same from him.
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MR HARGREAVES: And the same from you too. You are a disgrace.
I wanted to congratulate the government particularly on the Malkara school hydrotherapy pool replacement. In my past employment I had a lot to do with hydrotherapy as a rehabilitation tool and in fact just as a maintenance of lifestyle tool and I think that the government should be congratulated on not only identifying this as an issue but on saying that bandaids are not going to work. These are not people who can look after themselves; these are kids. These are kids who have got some dreadful conditions that you would not want and you certainly would not want your own little kids to have either. So this pool replacement I think is a fantastic initiative.
I am a bit surprised—no, I should not be surprised actually; I am a bit disappointed—that Mr Smyth would seek to delay the introduction of some solutions which quite
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