Page 1091 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 8 April 2008
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significant emanation of so-called business support for the Liberal Party, namely the 250 Club, has actually gone west. That is why the 250 Club, the singular most expression of business support for the Liberal Party, no longer supports the Liberal Party.
Mrs Burke: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Point of order, Chief Minister.
MR STANHOPE: It is now going to support independent and other candidates.
MR SPEAKER: Chief Minister, order!
MR STANHOPE: I beg your pardon, Mr Speaker.
Mrs Burke: I think you have already got the point, sir; it is about relevance.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, stick with the subject matter of the question, Mr Stanhope.
MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Mr Speaker; I will. But I conclude on the point that even the 250 Club, the organisation of businesses that used to support the Liberal Party, no longer does. Thanks for the question.
Transport—seniors card
MR MULCAHY: My question is directed to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, as you are aware, this week is Seniors Week. Since September 2006, when I was shadow minister for ageing, I have called for the ACT government to pursue a reciprocal agreement for the use of senior travel discount cards with other jurisdictions. Because of the unwillingness of some jurisdictions to have a national scheme, in March 2007 I urged the government to seek to enter into bilateral agreements with willing individual jurisdictions. Your government adopted this policy in October 2007. Chief Minister, can you tell the Assembly what progress has been made on this issue and whether ACT seniors are able to obtain discounts when travelling in any other jurisdictions?
MR STANHOPE: I thank Mr Mulcahy for the question. I must say I have never, with great respect, Mr Mulcahy, regarded it as one of your policy initiatives but I am happy to share it. Certainly, as Mr Mulcahy alluded to in his question, the ACT government and a number of other governments have, over a number of years, sought to achieve a national approach to the use of seniors cards interjurisdictionally. It has been the ACT government’s view and position for some time—a position shared I think most visibly by Tasmania, in discussions I have had over the years—that there should be a national approach and a national agreement on the transferability of seniors cards, particularly for travel across jurisdictions.
Mr Mulcahy is quite right: all efforts through ministerial councils to achieve a national protocol, agreement or understanding on the transferability of seniors cards for travel purposes have been unsuccessful; and, as a result of that lack of success, the
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