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and absorbing significant resources in the construction, operation, lighting and maintenance of spaces, as well as associated enforcement needs. Other cities such as Melbourne have stringent parking supply limitations and maintain a particular emphasis on ensuring that priority is given to short-stay parking. It is this kind of approach that must be taken in Canberra to encourage more effective use of our public transport system.

All these measures I have discussed should be aimed at increasing public transport usage through a more compact urban environment. Failure to achieve higher public transport usage will increase congestion on the road system and add pressure to increase both capital and maintenance expenditure on roads. Conversely, much higher public transport usage will enable a significant amount of these costs to be avoided or deferred. In the longer term, the Canberra community stands to save millions of dollars, not just on roads but in land development, infrastructure provisions, municipal services and asset maintenance.

As I have said, one of the factors that influence car ownership levels and usage is the availability of public transport. Poor quality and indirect public transport services lead to higher levels of car ownership and usage. Users need to appreciate the comparative advantages of a public transit service that provides direct access to their destination. Good quality services should be provided before people make choices about lifestyle factors such as the mode of travel, not after these choices have already been made. Measures to ensure that our existing public transport network is improved are already in hand and will provide a firm foundation for other incentives. One of the first directions of this Government was to separate out the purchaser-provider role for bus service provision. This was an initial move in the corporatisation of ACTION, in line with incentives currently being pursued in the cities of Adelaide and Perth. The corporatisation of ACTION, which we have previously foreshadowed, is a key element of our public transport reform.

Mr Speaker, ACTION continues to move to greater efficiency. The enterprise bargaining process will mean significant changes in productivity for ACTION's key employee groups. Part-time employment conditions were introduced for bus operators in 1994, along with a range of improvements in work practices that raised productivity and efficiency while reducing costs. An interim agreement covering workshop employees was implemented in 1994, which reduced the cost of vehicle maintenance through reductions in unnecessary overtime and allowances and rationalisation of workshop facilities.

Mr Connolly: Well done, Labor Government.

MR HIRD: Well, you got something right. Negotiations are being finalised for a comprehensive workshop agreement that will provide additional gains in the productivity of workshops. While savings were achieved under a previous three-year agreement, a new agreement covering the three years from 1995-96 is now being finalised, and our Government is proud to say that this will provide further substantial savings.

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