Page 3377 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 14 November 2007
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the ACT community. These volunteers generously donate their time and money in order to provide a working railway operation for all of the community to enjoy. Be it a heritage steam train run, an overnight Showtime express tour to another capital city or just a relaxing dinner-train overlooking the Tuggeranong valley, there is something for every family to enjoy.
I have had the personal experience of travelling with the society on one of their runs to Bungendore, for luncheon and return, and had the pleasure of travelling on the Australian seat of government carriage and I enjoyed it very well.
Government cannot let the Australian Railway Historical Society crumble under the pressure of financial burden. It is in the best interests of the ACT community to ensure the survival of this organisation that deserves far more recognition within the community than it currently receives. Often it is only after we lose something that we realise the benefit it brought to our lives. So I urge all members of the Assembly to support this motion, which will set up a stable base that the society can thrive off and ensure the longevity of our heritage railway well into the future.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (3.56): I am certainly happy to support Mr Gentleman’s motion but I would like to take it further. I have an amendment which I believe is being circulated at the moment. It seems to me from Mr Gentleman’s argument that he did not take the full journey and arrive at where, logically, having regard to his concern, he should end up; that is, it makes a lot of sense to leave the railway museum where it is.
Like Mr Gentleman, I have developed a real admiration for the people who keep that incredible complex at the site in Kingston going. Let us face it: none of the people who work there are paid to do it. They are part of a group which, fortunately, is still strong. Despite the demise in investment in public rail transport, there are still people who are passionate about trains. A former Leader of the National Party of Australia, Mr Tim Fischer, is one of these people. They must be encouraged and rewarded for their work. If we actually costed the work they do, we would be looking at millions of dollars. I also want to acknowledge the dedication of Lainie Loewe to the society and as an advocate for the society.
Rail heritage is important because it is part of our history and of the evolution of our society. However, I do not want railways to remain part of our history. People may be aware that the Greens’ national platform actually calls for significant investment in rail infrastructure, not just to get a lot of transport off our roads but in order to increase its role as a human transport carrier.
It is true that trains are becoming almost a part of history—almost a novelty. I do not like the idea that soon we might only see them in museums. At the moment, we have two trains a day to Sydney and the majority of the community probably does not consider it to be a viable option. Two trains a day to Sydney is pathetic. I know that is out of the control of the ACT government; it is the New South Wales government that makes that decision. Most of the track is in New South Wales. We know that it is not up to scratch. I used to be a train traveller. Along with most other Centrelink recipients, we got our concession voucher every year. If you travel on the trains
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