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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 3161 ..

MR KAINE (continuing):

collection of audio books. These special collections are important for older citizens who, our statistics show, are enthusiastic users. A mobile library service operates throughout Canberra to provide good service to those older citizens who find it difficult or impossible to visit the libraries. The mobile library visits hostels and retirement villages once every fortnight.

In terms of public transport, in June of this year I tabled in the Assembly the Graham report on the review of ACTION services. Among other things, the Graham report recommended that a second tier of services be introduced to suit older citizens and other customers who require minimum walking distances to and from the bus, perhaps due to a physical disability that makes walking difficult, extra time to get on and off the bus, and services that take them close to regularly frequented destinations, including shopping centres, medical centres, public libraries, senior citizens centres and clubs. The Government has accepted the recommendations of that report and work is under way to implement its major recommendations.

I am pleased to report that a number of community routes of the style described above are already in operation. Ms Reilly might listen to this. In Belconnen, routes 414 and 415 provide services between the retirement villages in Page and the Florey Medical Centre and the Belconnen Town Centre. Route 416 provides a service between Charnwood, Fraser, Macgregor and the Kippax centre. ACTION also operates route 306 between the city bus interchange and the Turner Senior Citizens Centre, and route 206 between the Woden bus interchange and the Woden Senior Citizens Centre. Perhaps this is all news to Ms Reilly.

The Government recognises that older citizens have special needs when using bus services. The Government has agreed to a bus replacement program that will see the progressive replacement of older style buses with a new low floor fully accessible fleet. ACTION already has 10 low floor buses in service and another seven being prepared for service. These buses comply with the draft disability standards for accessible public transport and will assist many in the community, including the aged and those with limited mobility.

In addition, every ACTION bus has priority seating for seniors close to the front of the bus. The Government recognises that older passengers using public transport must not only be safe, they must feel safe. That is the reason why the Government has taken up the comments of the Graham report in relation to interchanges. ACTION is now considering the future arrangements for interchanges and favours on-street locations like the city interchange, where nearby shops and businesses generate pedestrian traffic and make passengers feel safer.

Debate interrupted.

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