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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 11 Hansard (25 September) . . Page.. 3210 ..

Mr Humphries: I think you might have.

MR QUINLAN: I will check. The legislation is aimed particularly at companies owning homes that are effectively owned by private individuals. We are receiving a number of appeals from people putting their case and saying, "We are caught here, and it is going to cost us money to transfer the title of the home from the family trust to the individual." I think that is appropriate. Those cases will be taken on their merits. Already we have appointments with people to hear their cases so that we can determine whether there is a legitimate case and this is the way they were told to do their estate planning. If the imposition of land tax on them means that it is far more cost effective for them to have a conventional ownership structure, then we will review their case and, where appropriate, we will waive the stamp duty required to transfer from the trust to the individual owners.

ACTION bus fleet

MS GALLAGHER: My question is to the Minister for Planning, Mr Corbell. Minister, I have noticed some flash new buses on the roads in Canberra over the past couple of weeks. Can you inform the Assembly whether Canberrans will be enjoying these buses on a permanent basis?

Mr Humphries: You have not ridden in one, have you? You are paid to go on a bus.

MR CORBELL: I pay to go on buses, Mr Humphries. I thank Ms Gallagher for the question. Well may the opposition feel a little embarrassed on this issue, because this government is spending more money on bus fleet replacement than they ever did when they were in office. The Labor Party went to the last election with a strong commitment to public transport which we are now delivering on. Over the next four years, the Labor Party will invest $46.8 million in public transport in Canberra. That is the extent of this government's commitment to improving public transport in Canberra. That is a $46.8 million increase. It includes $17.2 million for a bus fleet replacement program.

Earlier today I was very pleased to show off the new buses being trialled by ACTION as part of our bus fleet replacement program. These buses are state of the art. They are airconditioned and run on compressed natural gas. They have ultra-low floor access and ramps for people with mobility access problems. Whether they are in a wheelchair or on scooters or whether they are parents with prams, they are going to get better access as a result of this government's bus fleet replacement program.

The new buses are also environmentally friendly. They run on compressed natural gas, and as a result they are also quieter. But wait, there's more. These buses will be trialled along with two other types of buses-buses produced by the MAN group in Germany and Scania in Sweden. These buses are currently being used comprehensively in Brisbane and Adelaide, and they are proving to be very popular with driving staff and customers.

I anticipate that ACTION will have completed their assessment of the possible buses for our bus fleet replacement program late this year or early next year, and hopefully we will see the first of these buses on the road in the ACTION livery in the first half of next year.

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