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The Government is currently considering further work on future public transport options for Canberra. The scope of this work is likely to include an analysis of what community attitudes and associated transport needs are and identifying the types of transport systems that will serve those needs. This would mean looking at methods of funding the preferred systems, and the broader implications for Canberra's development. It should also ensure that the ACT is well placed to seek Federal funding support under programs, like the better cities program, which aim to meet the objectives of maintaining and improving the prosperity and livability of Australian cities.

There is now a clear recognition that there are complex interrelationships between transport, land use, the environment, and many other elements that are part of the urban fabric. In order to respond to this multifaceted environment, this Government intends to develop its policies in a holistic way. For example, encouraging a high-quality but more compact urban form may be linked to light rail development, environmental benefits, and longer-term operating and capital infrastructure cost savings. In Gungahlin particularly - and this is relevant to a question that was asked this afternoon - there appear to be opportunities to implement a mix of complementary policies and strategies that will produce a vibrant community and will produce savings of hundreds of millions of dollars in capital infrastructure expenditure over the next 20 or 30 years. This approach will mean looking at related measures, such as adjustments to the supply and price of parking or creating a more conducive environment in which private sector transport providers can operate. Through this well-planned approach we have a much better chance of realising the potential benefits of a more compact urban form.

The Government has already indicated that ACTION will be corporatised by 1 July 1996. This initiative will help create an environment in which public transport services can be made more efficient and more responsive. It will also enable the public transport system to be operated on a competitive basis. The Government is also looking at other initiatives, such as encouraging the operation of a broader range of vehicle types that can serve a much wider range of transport demand market segments and better linkages between more traditional public transport. One of these is personal public transport. That means ways of utilising the latest transport and telecommunications technology to provide a wider range of demand-responsive public transport services that improve the total transport network. This would involve new types of affordable, on-demand, multihire maxitaxis and taxi buses; the integration of on-demand and conventional public transport through advanced computer and communication systems; and the development of a network of electronic bus stops producing real-time information on the costs and journey times of different travel options. These are things that are available now, through telecommunication. They are things that happen overseas, so we are not reinventing the wheel. In the ACT we have a perfect opportunity, in terms of the knowledge and the people we have in our community, to effect all these reforms.

Mr Speaker, this type of initiative would enable the private sector to offer transport services that compete with the convenience of private cars by offering higher standards of service and improved revenue returns. The Government understands the need to get a better understanding in the community of how transport services can be employed to

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