Page 3834 - Week 11 - Thursday, 24 November 2022
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The Liberals have asked for a time line on light rail, which I have provided, and will do through the amendment that I will be moving shortly. But it is clear that, under a Liberal government, they would never have built light rail stage 1 from the city to Gungahlin and, despite what they promised at the election, they will never build light rail stage 2 to Woden—ever.
The ACT government has been making, and will continue to make, long-term, future-focused investment in our city. By comparison, the Canberra Liberals are too hung up on their same old conservative campaigns, ripped out of Zed Seselja’s playbook. The Canberra Liberals were supposed to be different under the new opposition leader, but, sadly, things remain the same. They are opposed to light rail and without a vision for our city’s future. The Canberra Liberals do not support light rail and they never will. I move the following amendment to the motion that has been circulated in my name:
Omit all text after “That this Assembly”, substitute:
(1) notes:
(a) the ACT Government is committed to the delivery of light rail to Woden;
(b) the cost and timeframe for constructing light rail to Woden is subject to various federal government approvals, and that publication of estimates would detrimentally impact commercial negotiations;
(c) the ACT Government has committed to constructing the first segment of light rail between the City and Commonwealth Park (LRS2a), while obtaining Federal approvals to construct the remaining segment of light rail from Commonwealth Park to Woden (LRS2b); and
(d) around 665 of the city’s approximately 14,780 public parking spaces will be changed or removed as part of Raising London Circuit (RLC);
(2) notes the ACT Government is progressing delivery of light rail to Woden and has already achieved the following milestones:
(a) released the LRS2a business case in August 2019;
(b) submitted an EPBC Referral in December 2019, which was then released for public exhibition in August 2020, and received approval in February 2021;
(c) obtained Federal Government commitment to contribute a combined total of $218.4 million funding for LRS2a in February 2021 and October 2022;
(d) progressed delivery of RLC by signing an Early Utility Works contract in June 2021, receiving Works Approval in March 2022 and signing a Main Works Contract in July 2022;
(e) signed a contract in July 2022 for five new light rail vehicles, retrofitting batteries on the existing fleet, and expanding the light rail depot, to enable wire-free operations on light rail stage 2; and
(f) commenced construction of RLC in October 2022;
(3) notes the ACT Government will continue to progress delivery of light rail to Woden with the following current estimates of project milestones:
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