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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 2 Hansard (20 February) . . Page.. 434 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

Terms of reference for the study are currently being developed by PALM. I should stress to members that I have not been advised of the terms of reference of this study to date, and I am awaiting the advice of Planning and Land Management before proceeding further on this issue.

But it is quite clear that there is a need to look closely at public transport options for the city. That is why we indicated our preparedness to commence this study. The proposal is that that the study run for about six months from the time it commences, which should be reasonably shortly.

I should indicate to members that I have not received any advice on the exact terms of reference of this study. The study will be conducted by consultants, and it is therefore intended that the study will go through a tender process.

There has been discussion between PALM and other interested stakeholders such as the Conservation Council of the South East Region and Canberra on issues that need to be looked at in the context of this study.

The proposition by Mrs Cross this afternoon is a concerning one, because it is through a standard process of government that a consultancy will be let for a study, the study will commence, there will be extensive consultation as part of the study process, and there will then be a report to government. For Mrs Cross to suggest that the Assembly, as a committee, should try to write the terms of reference for this study is really blurring the lines between the responsibilities of the government and the responsibilities of the Assembly.

That said, I note that Mrs Cross in her speech said that she wants the terms of reference before the study commences. I am happy to make the terms of reference available to members before the study commences. Clearly, government has not yet seen those terms of reference, but once we see them and we are in a position to release them, I am prepared to do that. I am concerned, though, that Mrs Cross' motion means that I have to wait for a sitting of the Assembly and table the terms of reference in the Assembly before the study commences. Depending on when the terms of reference are finalised, that could involve a wait of weeks or indeed months before the study into public transport options could commence.

Therefore, I foreshadow that I will be moving an amendment to Mrs Cross' motion to provide that I provide all members of the Assembly, not necessarily during the sitting of the Assembly, the terms of reference of the government's proposed study into future public transport options, including light rail for Canberra, before the study commences. I am very happy to do that, but I think it would unnecessarily delay the introduction of the study and the commencement of this very important work if the government needed to wait until a sitting of this place to formally table the terms of reference. The alternative, as I set out in my foreshadowed amendment, is that the government provide the detail of the terms of reference to all members of the Assembly prior to the study commencing.

This is an important debate for Canberra. It is not just about light rail. It is about public transport, it is about providing better public transport for Canberrans, it is about building a more sustainable Canberra, and it is about addressing the inequities that exist in our

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