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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 9 Hansard (29 August) . . Page.. 2819 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

transport system. Another measure that has been raised in various forums is to replace motor vehicle registration charges with an increased fuel tax on a revenue-neutral basis. This change reflects the view that it is not the car itself that causes environmental problems; it is how often it is used. There may be equity issues involved in such a change, but I am sure that this aspect can be taken into account as part of the broader transport strategy.

In conclusion, let me say that Canberra is at a crossroads. Over the next few years this Assembly will be confronted with major decisions about new roads in Canberra - there are the roads in North Canberra such as John Dedman Parkway, and so on. We believe that much of the money that will be spent on roads would be far better spent on developing alternative approaches to managing travel demand and promoting public transport, rather than just perpetuating the car dependency of Canberra.

MR WHITECROSS (Leader of the Opposition) (4.33): Mr Speaker, I begin my remarks by reflecting on Mr De Domenico's job on maintaining the roads. I was interested to hear Mr De Domenico say that he was certain Mrs Carnell was going to allow him to continue to use the squiggles, once she had seen the report. I have a great deal of admiration for his confidence in his ability to predict what Mrs Carnell will do. I have great admiration for his confidence in his ability to pick Mrs Carnell's mood on these matters. He could not pick Mrs Carnell's mood the other day when he went on the radio and defended them and half an hour later Mrs Carnell pulled them. I am not entirely confident in Mr De Domenico's ability to predict Mrs Carnell on this.

This matter of public importance is about the issue of a coordinated strategy for public transport for the Australian Capital Territory. Mr Speaker, one thing you could not accuse the current Government of is a coordinated strategy. There are a couple of peripheral issues to the public transport strategy for the ACT which were mentioned and which I wanted to touch on in passing. One was the fast train. As the Minister said, that matter has been supported by all parties in the Assembly, and I think it is an issue we want to see progressed. Perhaps he was being a little unkind in suggesting that the New South Wales Government is committed to the Tilt-train, but certainly they have not ruled it out in the way we have been inclined to do. It is an issue we will have to continue to pursue. It is a very important issue for our future and it is a good way of providing faster and more accessible transport in the Sydney-Canberra corridor.

Similarly, I have to say that I would be ecstatic if we got an international airport in the ACT. I share some of Mr Moore's scepticism about how serious people are about it. A cynic might suggest that a government intent on selling the airport would like people to think it could be an international airport and that that might help the price. The real issue in testing the viability of the airport - as I said, I would be ecstatic if it were viable and if it did come about - is the ability to get people to land in Canberra. That is a task that is easier said than done. Tourists like landing in Sydney or Brisbane because that is where tourists go. They are not so keen to land in Canberra. A big cultural change is necessary to persuade people to land in Canberra, and that makes it a very risky undertaking for whoever owns the airport.

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