Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 11 Hansard (8 December) . . Page.. 3240 ..

MR HARGREAVES (continuing):

Perhaps what is needed here is a little bit more sophistication in the provision of numbers, or at least the same number, whichever is the right one. I know from my own experience over the last 15 or 20 years in this town that they have not got it right yet. I suspect that that is the case, because the schools are providing two sets of numbers. They make guesstimates on the one hand, but they make overestimates on the other because of resources. So it is not, in a sense, the liaison committee's fault; it is not, in a sense, ACTION's fault, because the ACTION route managers do a reasonably good job, I think, but they are given incorrect information. We know that. Why on earth they trust the figures, I will never know.

Mr Speaker, I am not going to discuss the issue of school bus fares. I think members on both sides of the chamber and the crossbenches know our opposition to these things. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Government on its approach to special needs transport. I disagree with the committee's recommendation about special needs kids. I do not think they should pay anything for their bus transport. They and their families have got a hard enough row to hoe as it is, without having to do that. In fact, $2 means an awful lot to them.

Mr Speaker, I am a little concerned about the Government's response on the pick-up and drop-off points for school buses. I accept that it would take a mega-bucketful of money to address all of the drop-off and pick-up zones across town. I think it is an excellent idea to fold that in as a sort of expected entry in the capital works program. I fully support that. However, there are some hot spots. We alluded to hot spots at Daramalan College, St Clare's College and St Edmund's College. The one that I know only too well is the bottleneck at St Edmund's College and St Clare's College. Mr Speaker, I think it would be a reasonable thing for the Government to accelerate the addressing of that particular problem.

We are talking about two Catholic schools. There needs to be a combined approach by the Catholic education system and the Government to address the issue. I am quite happy about that. However, if it involves a fairly major cost factor, the Catholic Education Office is going to have to find the money somewhere. Passing the plate around might not work. There might have to be some other sort of fundraising exercise. So it may take a considerable amount of time. In the meantime, as it is a quite dangerous situation for those kids catching buses, the Minister might consider closing the streets between certain hours.

If we drive through any school zone during the week we have to drop our speed to 40 kilometres per hour. We know the hours of pick-up and drop-off in McMillan Crescent. Perhaps we could introduce temporary closure or one-way status for McMillan Crescent just for the period between now and when the problem is permanently addressed. If we make it difficult for people to actually take their cars down there, most people will avoid it and go somewhere else. All I really want them to do is avoid the area while we have got buses parked on both sides of the road.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .