Page 2104 - Week 06 - Thursday, 7 May 2009
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and development, as well as public transport infrastructure, mandatory solar passivity and pedestrian and child-friendly design.
We were also very pleased to see that $12 million has been set aside for upgrading our CBD. Certainly we all know that the Sydney and Melbourne buildings are overdue for a sprucing up and we hope that the Canberra community gets on board with some innovative input.
The Greens are also pleased to welcome the return of a library for the inner south. A new library in Kingston, in a busy shopping centre, with better public transport access, will ensure that a larger proportion of the population is able to use it. We understand that when libraries are co-located with shopping centres they are far more accessible to a larger range of people, which results in increased user numbers.
With regard to waste initiatives, $500,000 has been included in the budget to improve commercial sector recycling. It stems from one of the key waste initiatives in our agreement with Labor. This focus on commercial sector recycling has been required for many years and we are pleased that the government has responded. If this commercial waste strategy is implemented smartly, there are huge gains to be made. We will be keeping a close eye on this project to make sure that the government uses this money fruitfully and that it leads to quick and effective results.
I also want to note that we have been asking the government to implement organic waste recycling, which still constitutes 20 per cent of household waste. We will continue to press for action in this important area.
The government has honoured the Labor-Greens agreement by providing an additional $6.4 million over four years for cycle paths and $500,000 per year for footpaths. We have long said that Canberra needs to become a greener city that is friendlier for non-motorised transport. These improvements are a major win in the ongoing effort to create a greener urban environment by encouraging people to cycle and walk. We will be asking the government to prioritise improving routes to and from town centres, to fill in gaps in the walking and cycling paths.
We welcome the initiative to trial a bus rapid transit service. It is the first step towards an effective public transport system for Canberra. Bus rapid transit will make commuter travel faster and more convenient. This is what is required if we are to shift Canberra’s transport balance from cars to buses. Combined with the updated ticketing system planned for this year, ACTION will really have something effective, efficient and attractive to offer to people. I am confident this service will be a success.
But as you all know, it is not just about peak-hour buses. It is about community service to people who are otherwise isolated or marginalised in our community. And while we have community transport of various sorts, taxi subsidies and so on, these are run by different businesses and agencies, none of them effectively or efficiently linked together.
In addition, we have a wheelchair-accessible taxi service which is significantly inadequate. The people who rely on this service suffer possible health effects when
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