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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (5 September) . . Page.. 3155 ..

Mrs Carnell: Is that an extra service?

MR DE DOMENICO: It is an extra service, yes. Members may also be aware of some delay in the commencement of the extension. He has it right so far. Mr Whitecross, never one to shy away, obviously, from a Canberra Chronicle story, is in the photograph. Look at that - a nice little photograph of him waiting for the bus to arrive. It is a nice picture. He is never one to shy away from a story. It appears in this week's edition. It strongly criticises the Government, and me in particular, and ACTION for continuing to promise the new service but failing to deliver. The article says:

"The residents of Nicholls and Harcourt Hill have a right to be upset about the lack of services being provided by ACTION in their suburb," Mr Whitecross said.

Mr Whitecross was commenting on the Government's lack of concern for some Nicholls residents who still have not been provided with a proper bus service, despite ACTION putting in the bus stops.

There is even a very statesmanlike photograph, that I have just shown members, of Mr Whitecross, looking most indignant, next to one of these bus stops. The article continues:

"Mr De Domenico has in the past run the spurious argument that he has not cut services in Belconnen, Tuggeranong and Weston Creek but just relocated them to Gungahlin. If this is true then where are they and why can't Nicholls residents have a proper bus service.".

It seems a fair enough question, Mr Whitecross. It is a very good question. Let me provide you and other members with the answer. Of course, Mr Whitecross did not ask me that question. He just went to the newspaper, making all these spurious arguments: "Woe is me. The Minister is a dunce. ACTION buses are useless. Here am I waiting at the bus stop, but there is no bus". Here is the short answer, Mr Whitecross. The reason why the bus is not there is three letters: TWU, the Transport Workers Union.

Quite obviously, ACTION had to wait for the connecting roads to Gungahlin to be constructed before the bus service could be provided. You have to have the roads first, before you can put the buses on the roads. Right? Okay?

Mr Whitecross: Yes.

MR DE DOMENICO: You acknowledge that. That is good. Those roads were completed in May of this year. We finished the roads in May. At that time ACTION began planning a variation to route 511 to Ngunnawal and Amaroo to divert through Harcourt Hill. It also planned to divert route 511 through Ginninderra Village, to provide a regular service to the tourist attractions in the area. That is a most sensible way of redirecting a bus route, a new one especially.

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