Page 705 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 31 March 2021
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MR STEEL: I thank the member for his question. During the estate development planning that is undertaken on new greenfield suburbs the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate works with both the SLA and Transport Canberra and City Services to look at the future planning of bus routes. There has been significant work undertaken in areas like Molonglo, for example, which I have spoken about in previous sitting weeks, where we have undertaken work looking at the future connections so that we can make sure that the road geometry can accommodate bus services on the major arterial roads and connections within suburbs. Not every single street can accommodate the larger buses, but certainly every suburb will be planned to ensure that it has good public transport connections as early as possible in the life of the suburb.
Mr Parton: On a point of order, the question was specifically about what streets currently cannot accommodate buses. I am not sure that the minister has answered that.
MADAM SPEAKER: The minister replied in a broader policy sense, so the question was in order. Do you have anything to add, Minister?
MR STEEL: No, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: Before I give you a the call, Ms Orr, I remind members that we may be moving to a more active way to score the third supplementary. I saw that you had the jump, Mr Braddock, but it would be useful to call for a supplementary as well.
Mr Braddock: Apologies, Madam Speaker.
Work safety—government priorities
MS ORR: My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Workplace Safety. Minister, are the commonwealth’s reforms to industrial relations protecting ACT workers?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Orr for the question and for her interest in workplace safety across the ACT. The commonwealth government have shown time and again that they do not care about protecting workers in the ACT. They are unable to protect workers in their own house, as recent events have shown. How can we expect them to do better for workers in the ACT and indeed the country! Yet they are responsible for model work health and safety laws. They have the power to strengthen these laws, but they will not. They have taken no action on the recommendations of the Boland review, which has been with them now for over two years. This important review of course contains recommendations for vital worker protections.
Recently they had the opportunity to pass legislation on wage theft but instead, when it became clear that there was no support for other aspects of the industrial relations changes, they spitefully withdrew this commitment from their bill.
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