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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 11 Hansard (24 September) . . Page.. 3311 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

Mr Speaker, 1 July next year will mark the introduction of mandatory reporting of child abuse in the ACT. In preparation for mandating, the Government last year funded a training package, which is now being implemented across the Territory, and also significantly boosted funding for child protection workers to assist in maintaining their case loads. As more and more professionals are trained across the ACT in this financial year, there is a possibility that resources may need to be increased prior to the introduction of mandatory reporting. I want to make it clear today that the Government will provide additional funding that may be necessary should there be any significant increase as a result of this initiative. I am pleased to announce that this budget also provides for an increase of 11 in the number of substitute care places to a total of 150 in the ACT.

The budget also signals a major change in direction for the future of public transport in the Territory. Not only will public transport be completely restructured but also the very way people access these services will change dramatically over the next 12 months. Like every government across Australia, we want to ensure that people in this city have access to an effective, affordable and integrated public transport service. The key to a better system is to be able to provide transport when it is needed and at a cost that both the passenger and the operator can afford. For this reason, over the next 12 months the Government will be embarking upon an exciting new trial that could well determine the way public transport is provided in Canberra for the next two decades. This trial will involve the use of vehicles with a seating capacity of between eight and 10 people. These vehicles will make specific journeys in response to the needs of small groups of commuters, providing pick-up at a person's home and set-down at a specific address. The trial will assess the feasibility of providing a personalised public transport system that will work in partnership with existing taxi and bus operations.

It is perhaps the oldest and most timeworn joke in this city that in Canberra most people not only get a whole seat to themselves on the ACTION bus network but also often get a whole bus to themselves. This budget takes the first steps towards finally providing a bus service that is tailored to the needs of Canberra and its passengers. In 1996-97 ACTION will begin a major restructure of its fleet to include a range of smaller buses that will be used on suburban routes and some larger buses to meet increased demand for express services. The Government will acquire 25 midi-buses that will also meet the requirements of the national disability service standards. Totalcare's fleet of 21 smaller buses, one of which you saw outside today, will be incorporated into the ACTION network. As well, a number of articulated buses will be purchased to better meet demand on the 333 route and school services network.

Eventually, we want to achieve a situation where no longer will a large bus be employed on a suburban service where higher frequency services are possible through the use of smaller buses. With this change of direction come significant improvements in the levels of customer service provided by the ACTION network. This includes the introduction of a new peak-hour network into Belconnen and Weston Creek which will provide more direct and faster travel to the interchanges and to Civic. Ticket vending machines will be introduced at interchanges, while ACTION's timetable information will be made available on the Austouch network and also on the Internet. Security measures at the Civic interchange will be improved, and work will commence this year on bus passenger facilities at the Gungahlin Town Centre.

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