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Canberra Today 18°/23° | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

ACT QT: Zzzzzz golf courses

Question Time at the ACT Legislative Assembly today was, without doubt, the most boring hour of my life in Canberra so far.

Clearly, the whole Random Roadside Drug Testing Bill debate this morning had worn the members all out, with the spotlight on Minister Joy Burch over child care, kinship carers and funding for autism.

Burch’s rambling style around the questions, refusing to supply child care place numbers insisting she had replied last night, allowed everyone a bit of snooze time in their chairs.

Everyone except Liberal MLA Vicki Dunne, of course, who accused Burch of misleading the Assembly, asking for an apology when Burch said the same of her.

The Liberal boys only made a brief lunge for Gallagher’s throat over Budget revenues, with barely a word needed by Speaker Shane Rattenbury to keep them in check.

This was probably more pleasant for the crowd of Chinese policy students filling the chamber, brought in to witness democracy in action by ANU professor and journalist Norman Abjorensen.

The Greens questioned Andrew Barr over Canberra’s golf courses, apparently the ACT has more of them per capita than anywhere else in the country. Bush capital? No. Apparently we’re covered in driving ranges.

Barr outlined the issues of drought and the waning popularity of golf as a sport and said there wasn’t a “level playing field” in terms of water access for all the Territory’s golf courses, two of which received ACT Government assistance last year for drought proofing.

He wouldn’t name names, but Barr said one golf course has access to limitless water in Lake Burley Griffin.

“Clearly there are too many golf courses in Canberra. They’re not sustainable.” Barr said.

Greens MLA Amanda Bresnan questioned Emergency Services Minister Simon Corbell about the cost of ambulances to pensioners.

Her colleague Caroline Le Couteur pulled him up over energy efficiency in buildings after Labor Whip John Hargreaves asked a delightful Dixer:

“How are Canberra businesses responding to the ACT Government agenda for Canberra to become a carbon-neutral city by 2020?”

Then some more stuff about electric cars.

Then I think I fell asleep.

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Ian Meikle, editor

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