Page 3289 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 10 November 2021

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I look forward to providing an update to members before we adjourn for the summer recess in December. I encourage the Liberals to take a more supportive approach in relation to light rail, in the future. I move the following amendment:

Omit all text after “That this Assembly”, substitute:

“(1) notes that:

(a) the NSW Inner West Light Rail line has been decommissioned for 18 months because of structural issues with the CAF Urbos 3 light rail vehicles;

(b) that the same vehicles are used on the ACT light rail line;

(d) that the ACT fleet was purchased two to three years ago; and

(2) calls on the ACT Government to:

(a) report back to the Assembly on outcomes of safety inspections on the light rail vehicle fleet by the last sitting day of 2021; and

(b) advise the Assembly on the contingency planning it will undertake in the event the fault experienced in NSW and other countries emerges in the ACT light rail vehicle fleet.”.

MS CLAY (Ginninderra) (5.14): I rise to speak to Mr Parton’s motion and the amendment circulated by Minister Steel. The amendment brings forward the reporting date and is a sign of the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability. We Greens know that scrutiny and transparency are really essential. We need to make sure that our government is accountable and we need to make sure that people can trust our political system. We took those values to the election.

We want our infrastructure projects to be held to the standards of accountability and transparency. We want them to be subject to quality public engagement for their whole duration. We want the documents to be clear, and we want the reports to be made. We want open and transparent access to government information, and we want a clear presumption of proactive disclosure as part of a robust freedom of information system. We have seen all that with the amendment to this motion.

I am really, really pleased to see that we are going to get a report even sooner than the report was called for. I believe that the commitment to this prompt disclosure of the outcomes of the safety inspections by the last sitting day of 2021 really demonstrates that commitment to these goals. As such, the ACT Greens will be supporting Minister Steel’s tabled amendment to the motion.

MR PARTON (Brindabella) (5.16): I want to thank both Mr Steel and Ms Clay for their very sensible engagement with my office on this motion. I genuinely appreciate Mr Steel’s goodwill.

I note Mr Steel’s assurances in his speech that through the public-private partnership the onus on providing these light rail services would fall on Canberra Metro, should

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