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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2174 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

In other words, if people go out to catch buses and find that the buses are not there when they want to catch them, then they say, "It is too hard to catch public transport; I will make alternative arrangements". For two years, this Government imposed on ACTION bus users in this city huge inconvenience for three weeks over the Christmas period. In spite of the fact that a great many people do work over the Christmas period, in spite of the fact that a great many people do rely on ACTION buses to get to work, they imposed a Saturday timetable on ACTION bus users for three weeks. The result was disillusionment with the bus system, compounding the disillusionment that they felt with the cuts to ACTION buses as set out in Bus Book `96 and Bus Book `97. All that has contributed to a disillusionment by the community with ACTION and to the subsequent decline which we have seen in ACTION bus patronage.

Mr Speaker, this Government has been doing its best to destroy the public transport system since it came to office. They set out an agenda cutting $12.7m out of ACTION and reducing service standards - whether it is holiday timetables, late-night services, evening services, weekend services or just the frequency of normal route buses feeding into the interchanges. They have not pursued Labor's agenda of improving the attractiveness of the bus system; they have instead pursued an agenda of making it less attractive. Now they want us to believe that they have had a change of heart. Now they want us to believe that they suddenly believe public transport is an important issue.

What is the explanation for this road to Damascus conversion that has occurred in the Government ranks? Mr Speaker, like on supermarket trading hours, like their flip-flopping on 4.00 am closing, you can bet your life that the reason they have suddenly decided that they are all in favour of improving the public transport system is that they have some polling back which has said what we have been saying for two years, which is that the public do not like what they are doing to public transport; that the community are angry with what they have been doing to public transport; and that the community expect the Government to provide a decent public transport system. They will not listen to the community; they will not listen to members of this place; but, if their pollsters tell them, "This is going to cost you votes", then suddenly they are interested. It is going to take more than a few kind words from Mr Kaine to persuade the community that they are serious.

Mr Speaker, the Government today have an opportunity to show that they are serious. The Graham report made recommendations which will cost money to implement. (Extension of time granted) Improvements in the frequency of services, better services at holiday times, better services in the evening, better services on weekends and a service which is directed to making it attractive to catch the buses, not unattractive, are what Graham recommends. To implement those recommendations is going to cost money, pure and simple. The reason those cuts have been made over the last three years is this Government's relentless pursuit of the agenda of cutting $12.7m out of the ACTION budget. This budget is further implementation of that agenda of cutting ACTION and reducing the service.

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