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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (5 September) . . Page.. 3156 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (continuing):

The original implementation date for the extension of the service was 26 August, as mentioned in the Canberra Chronicle article. This date was not able to be met, solely because of the objections raised by the Transport Workers Union. Drivers are claiming, Mr Speaker, that the changes to their shifts which are necessary to pick up passengers at the new shops in Harcourt Hill are unacceptable to them. They do not want to change a shift because they do not like the shift change. Mr Speaker, do not get me wrong; these drivers have every right to raise work-related objections with management. That is what industrial democracy is all about. ACTION have followed and will continue to follow the dispute resolution process set out under the EBA signed by the TWU. It expects the matter to be heard by the Industrial Relations Commission in the near future. All going well, the extension to route 511 will be operating in October; all going well, and if the TWU agrees.

The interesting thing to note, Mr Speaker, is that the acronym TWU does not rate a mention in any of Mr Whitecross's quotes in the article in question. It is all ACTION this and De Domenico that. The TWU does not rate a mention. This is a beauty! The article states:

"Mr De Domenico should get out of his office once in a while and look around the city to see what is going on. ...

That is what Mr Whitecross says. Can I suggest, Mr Speaker, that it is Mr Whitecross who does not know what is going on. If he had bothered to talk to the union, the TWU, and all his union mates at the TWU, he may have realised that the problem does not lie with the Minister or ACTION management. The reason the residents of Harcourt Hill are not being serviced by the 511 bus route is quite simply that the drivers do not want to go there.

MR KAINE: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. From your comprehensive answer, Minister, it seems pretty obvious - - -

Opposition members interjected.

MR KAINE: Can I throw the chooks another handful of wheat? It seems pretty obvious that it is neither the Minister nor ACTION that is at fault. I would ask the Minister to confirm that it is, in fact, the TWU drivers that have caused Mr Whitecross's problem. If this is true, why do you think it is that Mr Whitecross has not bothered to mention them in his article?

MR DE DOMENICO: I thank Mr Kaine for the excellent supplementary question, Mr Speaker. The answer to the first part of Mr Kaine's question is yes. In relation to the second part, I am told that Mr Whitecross actually tried to ring the TWU. They said, "Andrew Whitecross? Who the hell is he?". That tells me that he is known in the TWU as well as he is known out in the community. The other thing I am told is that even if Mr Whitecross had come up with an opinion the TWU were not interested in it anyway.

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