Page 2311 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 16 June 2009
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MR SESELJA: Yes, thank you. Minister, why then did you say that all of your plans were on the table, when clearly they were not.
MS GALLAGHER: The plans were on the table. They remain on the table. In fact, we are busy implementing those plans that are on the table right now. They involve significant investments in public health infrastructure on the north side of Canberra and the south side of Canberra. In terms of the community, nothing changes. Those investments will be made on the north side and the south side of Canberra.
Our health plan will be implemented. It will take a lot of time to do it, it will be the priority of this government, and I look forward at some point in time for the party that has no position on anything to actually come up with a position, surprise the community and let them know what it is.
ACTION bus service—Belconnen bus interchange
MS HUNTER: My question is for the Minister for Transport and concerns the Belconnen bus interchange redevelopment. Minister, are you actively seeking feedback from the community on the interim arrangements on Cohen Street, Lathlain Street and Cameron Avenue for the Belconnen bus interchange and, if so, what is the feedback process?
MR STANHOPE: I thank the member for the question. The Belconnen town centre redevelopment is a major project. It certainly has involved very significant disruption for ACTION, and indeed for members of the community, but most particularly for ACTION, for ACTION routes and for patrons of ACTION. ACTION has worked assiduously over the last few months to ensure that information in relation to the new arrangements was readily available. I applaud the detail and the extent to which ACTION—ACTION management and members of staff—have worked closely with the community, most particularly with their clients, to ensure that there was a real understanding of the implications in terms of the changed arrangements.
Generally speaking, despite, of course, some quite understandable frustration at the nature of the change and at the changes that have occurred, the changes have been essentially, if not so much willingly, accepted, at least accepted as a necessary transition to fantastic new infrastructural arrangements for ACTION, particularly in the context of the integration into Westfield Mall at Belconnen of a bus lounge. It is a quite new concept, for the ACT at least, in relation to a place in which to await the arrival of a service.
There has been, I think, significant feedback and contact by commuters with ACTION and ACTION management in relation to the nature in which this has been pursued. As to the extent to which ACTION has responded to suggestions—as it does regularly and willingly and fully—and comments by travellers, I will take that on notice and happily provide the Assembly with details of the contact that there has been and the nature of the community’s response to the implementation of new arrangements at Belconnen. I will inform members of that.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Hunter, a supplementary question?
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