Page 2910 - Week 13 - Thursday, 23 November 1989
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Mr Speaker, let me conclude by saying that, while the document, Transport ACT, does contain some good general concepts, it does little more than establish what the problems are or are likely to be. There is little real examination of the overall transport needs of Canberra and no attempt to come to grips with some of the fundamental planning concepts that will be vital to our future.
I would like to finish with a quote from the same Canberra Times editorial to which I referred before. I think it really sums up the problems with the so-called strategy. Maybe this is one of the editorials that the Deputy Chief Minister did not agree with, but I know he was agreeing with one. Maybe he does not agree with this one. Let me just read to the house for the benefit of those present this statement:
The basic problems will not go away and the forces generating the problems - Civic development - suggest they will probably get worse. Nothing in the ACT Government's plan points the way to a solution. Indeed, with public transport capacity in Civic already close to exhausted, one could imagine that some elements of the strategy would actually increase the clogging of Civic's arteries.
MRS GRASSBY (Minister for Housing and Urban Services) (12.19): The provision of an efficient and effective transport system is critical to the well-being of the community. Transport underpins economic development. Transport is essential for social interaction. Good transport policy and design are central to the protection of our environment.
The ACT Government has, for the first time in Canberra's history, grappled with the issue on all fronts. It has developed a policy by which many government decisions will be guided, whether planning, capital, operational or financial. It is a plan which deals with the present but also provides guides for the future.
Canberra is a beautiful city. It is a great place to visit and to live in. People who come here remark on its setting, its built attractions and its facilities. In all this, Canberra is moving away from being a large country town to becoming a city. Becoming a city has brought Canberra many benefits, and under the guidance of this Government those benefits will continue. However, the costs of becoming a city have also become evident in the last few years, and this transport policy is clear evidence that this Government will not shirk its responsibilities in dealing with the difficult issues.
For any city in the world, transporting those people who work in it, play in it or live around it is a crucial and difficult issue. Canberra is now experiencing some of
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