Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fowler, Mrs Irwin, and the member for Canberra, Ms Ellis, will likely know that I am very much on the public record as supporting civil unions. So it distresses me that the government has taken the action that it has, but it effectively had to, and I will tell you why I think it did. The words from the act that the member for Canberra quoted, linking civil unions to marriage, were extraordinarily provocative. That is the problem. I think Jon Stanhope actually decided to put those words in there to make the Commonwealth government reject the legislation.

Annette Ellis (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry, but I cannot stay.

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is okay; I understand the member for Canberra has to go. I think that that was done for political purposes, to make it difficult for the federal government, and that is why the government has taken the action that it has. So I am disappointed for the people of the ACT that this legislation has been overturned, because I do share the views that the member for Canberra articulated in the latter part of her speech.

Today the Mayor of Thuringowa, Les Tyrrell, as well as his director of infrastructure services, Mr Colin Phillips, were due to come to Canberra. They were due to be here at half past 10 this morning, but Canberra fog has intervened. I know that they got to Sydney, but they are not here yet. They are coming here to gain support for their applications for federal government funding which I certainly think are very good applications and deserving of every support.

Thuringowa is a sister city of Townsville and up until now it was seen as a poor relative. But it is no longer seen that way in our community. Thuringowa City Council is probably every bit as good and probably better than Townsville City Council in many ways. It is a very professional council led by the CEO, Mrs Lyn Russell, who, incidentally, received a Public Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours—and congratulations to Mrs Russell; she certainly deserved that award.

The Thuringowa funding applications that are before the federal government are for regional flooding and natural disasters, and there is also one under the AusLink Strategic Regional Program. The natural disasters funding application relates to a regional flood mitigation program for $1.25 million in the suburb of Kelso. That is part of a five-stage flood mitigation project that will ultimately improve current levels of inundation in this suburb for about 5,000 people. That is a very good project and certainly worthy of support.

Thuringowa City Council also applied for funding under the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program of $219,000 for a project that is an all-hazards study and includes an investigation into natural hazards—including inundations, storm tides, storm events, cyclones, bushfires, landslides, earthquakes and dam breaks—that impact on the city’s hard and soft infrastructure. The outcome is expected to be a report providing options, solutions and recommendations on how to manage, protect and improve the city’s infrastructure network. Congratulations to Thuringowa City Council on doing this; we all remember, when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, how unprepared the city was. This is Thuringowa’s effort to be prepared for any major event by providing improved levels of service and protection of infrastructure that might be impacted.

In relation to roads, the Thuringowa council is seeking almost $5 million for an upgrade of Kern Brothers Drive to three lanes from Carthew Street to Sandstone Drive. That program will certainly improve safety. It will improve pedestrian safety, as the centre lane acts as a pedestrian refuge. It will conserve fuel by reducing delay times. It will decrease pollution by reducing delay times. It will alleviate driver frustration by reducing delay times, and upgrading to two-lane roundabouts will also reduce delay to and from side streets. In addition, the council is seeking $1.615 million, again, to upgrade Kern Brothers Drive to four lanes from Sandstone Drive to Hinchinbrook Drive, a key area, particularly with traffic going to the Willows State School. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.