30 April 2025
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (18:29): I move to amend paragraph 3 as follows:
Leave out 'vacant Lot 26' and insert 'decommissioned Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) site'
The reason for the amendment is to make it expressly clear which parcel of land the motion is referring to. It is no surprise, of course, that I am supportive of the motion that my colleague is putting forward. It is disappointing that there has not been a solution found to this parcel of land. I hope that, should this motion pass the upper house, it will put a bit of a rocket under the Labor government and encourage them to take action.
In terms of the points made by the Hon. Michelle Lensink, I do know Dr Anna Finizio. I have had the opportunity to meet her on many occasions. She is indeed a very impressive and accomplished person. Of course, preference decisions are made by party organisations, and they are made not necessarily with regard just to individual candidates who are standing, although I do know Cressida O'Hanlon and know her to be a formidable and impressive person also.
Preference decisions are also made with regard to the policy platforms of the respective political parties. If one looks at the policy platform that the Liberals have advanced here in our state and at the national level, there are significant points of difference with the Greens, so it would hardly be surprising that preference decisions have lined up in the way that they have. Certainly, I support the motion that the Hon. Tammy Franks is putting forward and urge the government to finally do something with respect to this green space.