Page 3774 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 24 August 2010
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bill today. But at this time yesterday, less than 24 hours ago, Mr Rattenbury put that ultimatum to me, and he confirmed it to me this morning.
The government says to the Assembly that we are committed to improving public transport in the city area, that there are a range of options that the government is considering to do just that, that the government is preparing to come back to this place on 1 December and report on those options and what steps it can take before the summer entertainment period occurs, but Mr Rattenbury has rejected that proposal from the government. Instead, he has said, “No, it’s all or nothing.”
The fact is that this bill needs to be passed this week if you want these new reforms in place by 1 December. The government cannot deliver on the implementation of these reforms by 1 December unless this bill is passed this week. This government have provided extensive information and consultation on all elements of this bill. We have provided exposure drafts; we have provided consultation papers; we have provided exposures of drafts of the regulations; we have provided detailed briefings; we have held detailed and complex discussion with all of the key stakeholders. Yet at one minute to midnight, we have it go off the rails because of an unreasonable and unprecedented ultimatum.
Mr Rattenbury will probably seek leave shortly to stand up and explain his position on these matters. He will probably seek to say to the Assembly, “Well, we want all these reforms to be done together.” That is what Mr Rattenbury is going to say. Mr Rattenbury is going to say, “We want to do these reforms as a package.” He is going to say, “We want transport to be in place at the same time that the reforms are in place.”
The proposal that the government has put to the Greens allows for just that. The proposal that I have put to Mr Rattenbury this morning provides for just that—by 1 December, the government will have concluded its position on what options are open to it to improve public transport provision. There is going to be a Nightrider service in place this year, as there is every year anyway, at the peak time when Civic, Manuka and Kingston are busy. And the government will be in a better position to advise what it can do to provide and fund further improvements.
But if Mr Rattenbury is going to stand on his “perfect or not at all” strategy, which is what we always get from the Greens—it is always, “It has got to be perfect, or you don’t get anything,” which is the position the Greens are adopting today—
Mr Hanson: On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker, I spoke previously in this chamber on a point of order when I asked to make a brief statement and was given leave to do so. Members of the government made constant interjections and took points of order that a brief statement was exactly that—it was not an opportunity to debate an issue. As a result of that, the chair at that time essentially agreed with the members of the government and asked that I wind up. I would ask that you do the same.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Corbell, I presume you will be coming to the conclusion very shortly.
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