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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (17 June) . . Page.. 1636 ..

MR KAINE (continuing):

The two routes - Queanbeyan-Civic and Queanbeyan-Woden - have been unchanged for about five years.

The agreement to allow the interstate operator to pick up and set down passengers within the ACT recognised that some people - - -

Mr Berry: Mr Speaker, how do you reckon this stands the test of "concise"?

MR SPEAKER: It is perfectly in order.

Mr Berry: And in relation to the subject matter of the question?

MR SPEAKER: You cannot expect a single-word response to every question.

Mr Berry: No, I do not. I just want him to stick to the subject.

MR SPEAKER: Proceed, Mr Kaine.

MR KAINE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Downie says:

The agreement to allow the interstate operator to pick up and set down passengers within the ACT recognised that some people would prefer to catch a bus instead of waiting - something TWU members and politicians do all too frequently.

Though the TWU was told of the trial at least two weeks ago, it waited until Friday, the day before the trial was due to begin, to call a stop-work meeting.

This took all Action buses off the road with no notice, indicating a general lack of concern for passengers.

Those passengers could now believe some genuine competition might not be a bad thing.

Bus services between Queanbeyan and Canberra began in the early 1920s.

The restriction on the interstate operator began in 1926 when the Federal Capital Commission established a bus service. The federal Parliament then imposed the restriction on the Queanbeyan-based service, though at the time Queanbeyan was the major shopping and social centre for Canberra residents.

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