Page 2950 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 October 2022
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Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Members!
MR BARR: I should retract that! I believe there is another publication in this city that is perhaps more favourable for the Canberra Liberals and those allied with themselves. It is like the monthly or weekly newsletter of the Liberal Party. In fact, I think the weekly news of the Liberal party might be more favourable towards the government than that that is published by that particular publisher. Nevertheless, in response to Ms Orr’s question, work is progressing. The sites are being identified within the Exhibition Park precinct, and the scoping of the project is continuing. There have been public reports in relation to the options that the government is considering.
Transport—bus services
MR PARTON: My question is to the Minister for Transport and City Services. Minister, in relation to your government’s secure local jobs code for ACT residents, can you explain why the ACT government is paying a New South Wales company to provide Floriade shuttle bus services and the light rail replacement services when they are needed? Should not this be core business for the ACT government?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for his questions. Mr Gentleman may want to provide some further information in relation to the supplementary. Certainly we provide services for a range of different events but our focus is on delivering the programmed scheduled bus timetable. With the significant challenges we have had over the last few years with COVID, there have been workforce challenges that have affected our ability to support extra services above and beyond those that we provide under our scheduled services. As I have said throughout, our focus is on the reliability of our scheduled bus services and that will continue to be the case. Individual arrangements are made with event organisers. We are going through a process of updating our guidelines around events and how Transport Canberra provides support to events so there is further clarity around how that is achieved. We do draw on bus lines, including Qcity Transit buses that often have buses available that can take up extra services, when we are not able to deliver them. This benefits local jobs in our region as well.
MR PARTON: Minister, how can you possibly deliver a so-called full bus service but ultimately, as you said yesterday, a sham full bus service in early 2023, if—
MADAM SPEAKER: It is a preamble I think Mr Parton. I said, no preamble. Just to the question.
MR PARTON: If you are forced to pay a private NSW company to deliver ACT bus services this late in the year.
MR STEEL: We are recruiting more workers, Madam Speaker, up to 60 before the end of the year, to deliver reliable bus services. We have been planning for some time. There is a very long lead-in time for the development of an updated network and timetable. We are part-way through that process, ready for the implementation from term 1. We have announced that we are going to move to a full timetable in term 1
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