Page 3435 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 22 October 2014
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Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Hanson!
MR GENTLEMAN: Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Resume your seat, Mr Gentleman. Stop the clock, please. Mr Hanson, you were heard in silence, I believe.
Mr Hanson: I was not.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: I believe you were heard in silence. I do not recall having to speak to anyone, apart from Mr Rattenbury’s very brief interjection, which I drew him to order on. I have asked you to come to order several times. I am getting a little tired of it. Will you please let Mr Gentleman finish in silence. Thank you very much. Mr Gentleman.
MR GENTLEMAN: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I want to reflect on some of the comments that they have made to me as planning minister over the recent weeks and months. They tell us that they want to work with the government, they are looking forward to better consultation and they want to be engaged on the future development of the territory. We want to work with them as well. I think it is a great idea to make sure everybody is engaged.
I did want to comment too on Mr Hanson’s comments regarding solar panels and the cost of electricity. As we heard from Mr Rattenbury earlier, electricity in the territory is the cheapest across Australia. Of course the move towards renewable energy does have a cost but it is quite small in comparison to the costs that affect other states. As he said, the cost of electricity in Queanbeyan is somewhere near $1,600 a year more than the cost of electricity in the ACT. And what does surprise me, of course, about these comments is that it was the Canberra Liberals that supported the feed-in tariff when I brought it in in 2008. It is interesting to see their change in direction.
Within the heart of my electorate that Mr Hanson raised earlier too, Brindabella, we have seen a major infrastructure investment of $19 million on the refurbishment of the existing Tuggeranong health centre, which will be the base of several medical professions. That $19 million refurbishment stands alongside the creation of the widely supported nurse-led walk-in centre, a free general health service for all Canberrans aged over two years. We saw the numbers of people attending the first walk-in centre at Canberra Hospital that came originally from the Tuggeranong area. I think it is a great move that we have opened one in Tuggeranong.
Canberrans have known for many years that the capital is the most livable city but, more than that, we know that Canberrans are passionate about their city, about their community, and take a genuine interest in how our city develops and grows. Looking forward, we must remain committed to supporting the growth and development of the next generation of Canberrans and indeed ensure that the city we know today continues to be the city we need it to be in the future.
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