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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 3032 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

doing their shopping, often attending to medical needs. They will have a very innovative and very sensible new service. Services to Belconnen Mall and to other areas will also continue to go past their place. The one that concerns them - and I accept that they go to Kippax quite frequently for their needs - is a new off-peak weekday service.

Even though Mr Berry wants to score as many cheap political shots as he possibly can, this whole debate has resulted in some very good consultation and some very sensible amendments to what was only ever a proposal. No doubt, as my colleague Mr De Domenico and his ACTION bus staff go through the information they get from the ticketing system, further amendments can be made to improve the service. I think it is important to realise that, as was the case when those opposite were in government, nothing stands still permanently. We cannot simply mark time and have absolutely no change. People's patterns change. Demography changes. It is important for ACTION buses to constantly review services. Now they have an objective means of doing so.

If Mr Berry reads the ACTION planning document, he will see that the initial proposal actually adds a couple of new routes, deletes a couple of routes and reroutes a couple of routes; so it is a bit of a mishmash which probably balances out fairly evenly. It is just that - a planning document. There have already been amendments to it. As Mr De Domenico has said, he is going to send it out for consultation. I think that marks a very big difference between this Government and the previous one. We are prepared to consult. We are prepared to go out and talk to people. We are prepared to talk to people who come to us with a problem. I do not care how they come with a problem. I do not care even if it is through you, Mr Berry. That is fine. If it is a valid problem and I can do something about it, I will.

Mr Berry: "We will not close the school if the community wants it".

MR STEFANIAK: He talks about closing a school. I think we all know about that debate. Over six years the numbers at Charnwood dropped and you lot did nothing about it. Do not try to sheet that home to this Government. That is pathetic.

Ms McRae: What are you doing about Stirling? You are scaring them to death.

MR SPEAKER: Relevance, Mr Stefaniak.

MR STEFANIAK: Ms McRae talks about scaring them to death. Here is the woman who had this Government selling every single school last week. You have short memories. Look to yourself, Ms McRae. You are unbelievable. There have been a lot of changes to ACTION. We will continue to see changes. We will continue to see changes to the various routes. That is just something that is going to happen.

I make one other point before I finish. I am constantly amazed in recent times at how Mr Berry is suddenly trying to portray himself as the champion of small business. This is someone who is recognised probably Australia-wide as a very extreme member of the Left faction of the Labor Party. I think they must be chuckling behind their hands every time he jumps up and says he is a champion of small business. Mr Berry criticised Mr Hird and me in relation to this issue, saying, "You are not representing your constituents". I remind him of a meeting we had in Kippax in May 1994 when residents

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