Page 4065 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 30 November 2022
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like Erindale. That was a new service that was put on by our government directly as a result of the buses that were freed up from the light rail stage 1 route, and that has directly benefited Tuggeranong residents. It is one of the best patronised bus routes on the south side. That is exactly the sort of improvement that we will continue to make—providing more rapid, reliable services to people on the south side as we go forward, as we have shown in the past.
We want to make sure that Tuggeranong has access to the light rail system in the future. We expect that, in a couple of weeks time—maybe a couple of years; it has taken a little bit longer perhaps than we expected, for the Liberals to put out their media alert and then retract it, and to make an announcement on light rail—they will announce a third mode of transport in Canberra, possibly trackless trams—we do not know, Madam Speaker—and betraying the south side. What would that do to the public transport system? It would create massive transport interchange penalties. It would create massive inefficiencies in the system by needing to have more depots. It would not deliver the same high-quality service on the south side that has been delivered on the north side.
We will deliver the vision of a single transport spine from Gungahlin through to Woden and beyond, so that people can go all along that spine and access the many employment hubs and recreational facilities. We will provide that vision. The Liberals want to smash that vision. They do not want to see stage 2 built. They need to be up-front with the community on the south side.
Mr Parton, in his reply to my speech and to those of others today on his motion, should stand up and be clear to the community about whether he supports light rail stage 2. But all we have heard from him is what Mr Parton does best, which is attacking light rail and crying over spilt milk.
MS CLAY (Ginninderra) (3.19): I am really glad that we are talking about public transport again. I appreciate Mr Parton’s genuine concern about this issue. He regularly brings forward motions. I have done some work in this area, too.
Public transport really matters. We need to get more people moving by public transport and we need to get fewer moving by private car. Climate change and congestion are two of the biggest reasons, but we also need to give people accessible and convenient transport so that they can get to where they need to go.
I am really glad that we are talking about this, but I am disappointed by this motion from Mr Parton. It is not an accurate representation of what is going on. Good policy requires good data, so I will put some corrections on the record.
This motion calls for the duplication of our public transport system to Woden. We do not yet know what, if any, links we need to duplicate, so I am not sure why anyone would run out ahead of the project and call for a full duplication. I am also a bit puzzled to see this call from Mr Parton. The Canberra Liberals have spent a lot of time talking about the fact that we are spending too much money on light rail. I am genuinely confused about why Mr Parton is suggesting that we increase our spend by committing to a full duplication of the system ahead of any needs assessment.
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