Page 589 - Week 02 - Thursday, 9 March 2006

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DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (5.20): I will be very quick. Do not forget that I spent some time in Kennett’s Victoria, including living in Melbourne in 1990, the year that the conductors were taken off trams and there was, I think, a tram strike for about three months. I am also aware of the selling off of bus routes in Melbourne, and that in the post-Kennett years the government has found itself buying some of those back. So I am aware of Mr Corbell’s concerns—in fact, I would share some of them—although I am surprised that he thinks there is going to be a time when there will be a Liberal minister for transport. But it does sound as though, if we are going to get light rail in a hurry, there needs to be. So the Greens are in a little bit of a quandary here. Nonetheless, I do think that Mr Corbell has taken an extreme view on my amendment and is taking the precautionary principle perhaps a little too far in this case. I commend my amendment to the house.

MR PRATT (Brindabella) (5.22): Just to put Mr Gentleman’s fears to rest, I do not think we were talking about wanting to see ACTION services destabilised. I think we are only supporting this motion because we see some benefit of a little bit of competition around the margins of the existing public transport system. That is what we said. We did not say that we were opening the door—as you were portraying it, as you trembled over there in your boots—or that this would be end of civilisation as we know it. We simply want to add some layers of flexibility to make the existing system and service—the system you must make, my dear chap—in the best interests of the community, not in the best interests of nefarious lobbyists. We support the amendment.

Question put:

That Dr Foskey’s amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the negative.

Amendment negatived.

MR PRATT (Brindabella) (5.26): I seek leave to move amendments Nos 1 and 2 circulated in my name together.

Leave granted.

MR PRATT: I move amendments Nos 1 and 2 circulated in my name together [See schedule 5 at page 614].

I have covered the point that we have made regarding what we believe should be the role of the ICRC to determine the fares. All I will simply repeat here is this: how can the

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