Page 3574 - Week 11 - Thursday, 23 October 2014

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I assure the Assembly that the Capital Metro Agency and Territory and Municipal Services work very closely together. There is constant engagement between officers in both agencies and close cooperation taking place on these sort of projects, to absolutely minimise any overlap in work and make sure that redundant work is not being done. I actually reject the characterisation of this work as redundant work, because it is safety work that needs to be tackled in the immediate term.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.

MR SMYTH: Minister, are you therefore saying that part of the $114,000 is recoverable after the implementation of the light rail, and how much of the $114,000 will be recovered?

MR RATTENBURY: Yes, I indicated that already. In my earlier answer I said the lights are being installed on platforms that mean they can be removed at a later point in time and reused at another location. TAMS has a series of lighting works that constantly need to be done across the city, so the intent is to make these installations reusable at a later point in time when they are removed from Northbourne Avenue.

OECD livable cities report

MS BERRY: My question is to the Minister for Economic Development. Minister, earlier this month the OECD named Canberra as the most livable city in the world. What action is the ACT government taking to ensure Canberra retains this ranking and, in particular, to ensure that our economy continues to make a positive contribution to this ranking?

MADAM SPEAKER: The Minister for Economic Development, Mr Barr, being careful not to announce new government policy.

MR BARR: Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the warning and thank you, Ms Berry, for the question. The government will continue our tax reform efforts to cut stamp duty, abolish insurance tax and reduce payroll tax. We will be attracting new investment into our economy, sourcing that locally, nationally and internationally. We will continue our infrastructure investment in health, in education, in transport and in municipal services. We will continue to pursue growth in our economy, in the higher education sector, in the tourism sector, through professional services and in the construction sector, and we will continue to support job creation, particularly in our knowledge economy, by promoting innovation.

That is what good governments do: they support the economy, they support growth and they support jobs. It is pleasing to see that the OECD ranking has acknowledged this and affirmed the ACT government’s economic record, even if those opposite cannot bear to hear about it.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Berry.

Members interjecting—


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