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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 12 Hansard (19 November) . . Page.. 4321 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

would be coming and where it was currently. That is the benefit of providing real-time information. The government is seriously investigating its use in the lead-up to next year's budget.

MRS CROSS: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. If the government is seriously investigating that, why is it that you said early in your response to my question that one of the issues was cost?

Mr Corbell: No, I did not say that.

MRS CROSS: And then you said that vandalism was an issue when cost was already the first issue. Will your government revisit this issue, given that it has been brought to my attention and the attention of other members of this place as a serious communication problem and something that is lacking in our transport system? Given that you are the minister for transport, since you are into sustainable transport and offering modes of transport other than the car, isn't it important that the government acts more seriously on this matter to make travel in this city a little bit easier for travellers?

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, as I just indicated to Mrs Cross, the government is investigating new means of providing more viable and timely information on buses servicing particular routes. If you look at the experience in many other cities around the country and around the world, real-time information, for example, tends to be provided on key routes servicing key nodes. Buses coming into or going out of Civic would be an example. Equally, town centres, group centres and otherwise would be potential locations for real-time information and improved timetable provision.

It is worth making the point that the ACTION network is fully downloadable and accessible from a web site. The government also takes the step of providing all householders with an updated map and timetable where there are timetable introductions or changes. For example, the new network I announced last week, which will commence on 24 November, involved the government and the ACTION Authority letterboxing every house in the suburbs affected by the timetable changes with a copy of the new timetable. It is not just about existing bus users; it is also about attracting new bus users. The government's focus is on information provision for both people visiting Canberra and the residents of Canberra.

Annual reports

MS TUCKER: My question is to the Chief Minister and is about the accessibility of annual reports, specifically on the government website. Minister, as you know, the government has committed to accessibility guidelines for its web content, recognising that this can be an important means of communication with the community. The guidelines state:

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