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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 11 Hansard (5 November) . . Page.. 3642 ..

Mr Moore: It is a matter between you and your tree.

MR HUMPHRIES: Between me and my tree, and between me and my wife as well, perhaps.

Mr Berry: You would not have been able to do it if you had not taken off the tree protection orders.

MR HUMPHRIES: I am glad that Mr Berry raised that point, because that is not actually true. The tree, at that stage, at least, was not being cut down. Only boughs of the tree were being cut down. The provisions that were referred to by Mr Berry protected only whole trees, not parts of trees. So, I am sorry, Mr Berry, but you have outfoxed yourself there. I think we do need to come back and better protect buildings in that position. I am not sure how; but I believe that we need to explore that issue. Indeed, I have given those instructions to the Heritage Unit to consider ways of doing that.

MS HORODNY: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Urban Services, and it relates to the ACTION bus services. We heard earlier that today you launched a promotional campaign for ACTION called "Take ACTION to Save", as part of National Travel Smart Day. You may have been aware that, at the same time, here in the reception room, the ABC's Robyn Williams was launching the Conservation Council's alternative transport strategy for the ACT, which proposes that Canberra could achieve up to 30 per cent of work trips by public transport, as opposed to the current figure of about 8 per cent. This would be achieved, not by forcing anybody out of their cars, but by improving the bus service so that it actually provides a viable and attractive alternative to car use. I note, however, that there were no Government MLAs at that launch to listen to these ideas. I assume that the intention of your promotional campaign is to increase ACTION's patronage. So, could you tell us what the Government's target is for improving ACTION's patronage relative to other transport modes?

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, I was aware of the events that were taking place here in the Assembly today. Unfortunately, they were programmed to take place at the very same time as I was launching something for ACTION.

Mr Berry: Why did you not cancel it?

MR KAINE: I thought that people in this place were interested in seeing ACTION improved. If not, why did the Deputy Leader of the Opposition come out only this morning and say that what the Government was doing was too little, too late? I assume that he is interested in having ACTION improved. Mr Speaker, that is the reason why, when I became Minister in January of this year, I commissioned an inquiry.

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