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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 7 Hansard (18 October) . . Page.. 1821 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (continuing):

Mr Moore did mention the agreement by all Ministers for Transport of all political persuasions about the disability thing to be put in by the year 2015. It was something that was also agreed to by the Federal Transport Minister, Mr Brereton. I agree with Mr Moore that 20 years is too long to wait to enable people with disabilities to have access to public transport. With that in mind, Mr Moore would be aware that the ACT was the first of all jurisdictions to have buses that are accessible by people in wheelchairs. Mr Moore would also be aware that we have on order 10 mini-buses, I think, all of which will have chassis capable of being lowered to enable people with wheelchairs to have access. I can also tell Mr Moore that whilst I was in Western Australia I was happy to see that the train system there has been revamped in order to enable people with wheelchairs to have direct access on those trains. They are lower and are level with the platform. There is some fabulous innovative work being done in Western Australia.

Mr Moore mentioned that the heavy vehicles driver licence and the "one licence, one driver" issues were discussed. I was aware of Mr Moore's capability of taking on passengers from time to time. I can remember when he lived in Gowrie. He used to drive people around Tuggeranong using bus access lanes. Was it you or someone who looked very much like you, Mr Moore, in another life? I am also well aware of Mr Moore's brother's involvement in the transport industry in South Australia and some of the statements made. Mr Moore also mentioned points in one State being also lost in a mutual recognition way, and I agree with that as well. I think you are either a good driver or a bad driver, notwithstanding where you are driving. All those issues that Mr Moore mentioned were issues that Mr Lamont, the former Minister, had on board. Mr Moore also talked about the benefit of having ministerial councils and said that, in his view, when we talk about council-style governments we are really only mincing words. Perhaps Mr Moore is right, perhaps he is wrong; I am not going to comment on that.

Mr Moore mentioned the 50 kilometres per hour speed limit. When I came back the first question I was asked was whether the ACT Government had any intention of introducing the 50 kilometres per hour limit. From time to time we have organisations like the NRMA which perhaps do not have the best interests of only the people of the ACT at heart. I must say that they do have the interests of the ACT at heart from time to time. I think I said in a radio interview that you have to take into account the idiosyncrasies of the ACT before accepting willy-nilly something that perhaps is going to work in New South Wales or elsewhere. I acknowledge Mr Moore's comment. I agree that before any government of any political persuasion decided to do something as drastic as changing speed limits to 50 kilometres per hour it should seek the approval of this Assembly. All in all, Mr Speaker, I welcome Mr Moore's comments and those of anybody else who spoke on this matter - it has been so long that I have forgotten - and I commend the report to the house.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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