Page 4103 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 2010
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only chosen to offer this service during the festive season, we believe that the logic behind it operates year round.
It should be noted that a service equivalent to Nightrider is offered in other jurisdictions around Australia and is an effective and popular service where it is offered. We know that the committee inquiry into live music in the ACT, which reported just this morning, has recommended expanding the Nightrider service as an element of promoting a vibrant and safe live music culture in the city.
We have also held discussions with the taxi industry, and it is clear that if the Nightrider is operated as a trunk service connecting Civic with the major bus interchanges, taxis will be able to make a similar, if not greater, amount of money from fares with a higher number of shorter fares, provided there is a reasonable supply of patrons to those locations. Fares of $70 from Civic to Bonython or Civic to Ngunnawal are not good for the industry, patrons or public safety. A bus to Gungahlin or the Tuggeranong town centre followed by a $15 cab fare is better for the industry and significantly reduces the incentive to drive home drunk. I think that is probably enough to say on the transport issue at this time.
I would like to conclude by making a couple of observations. I would like to again indicate that the Greens support this bill in principle. I would like to congratulate the government for bringing forward these reforms, even if they have perhaps taken a little longer than many would have inspired to. Finally, I comment that there is still much work to be done, and the Greens will be taking an ongoing and abiding interest in the implementation of these laws.
It is quite clear that in Canberra—I think it is an Australian issue across they board to some extent—there are issues around the culture of alcohol consumption. I am hopeful that some of the measures in this bill will prove to be practical and effective. I think it is important that as an Assembly we try and make the changes we can. We also need to look to members of the public to make their own contributions, whether it is mates looking after mates or people perhaps thinking a little more before they head out at night. But we do need to strive to make a safe drinking culture, such that people can head out into town when they want to, have a great night, perhaps party as long as they can or as long as they care to, knowing that they can still get home safely at the end of the night in every sense of the word—that is, from a transport point of view and without needing to fear some form of unfortunate assault as they make their way home.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Minister for Energy and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (5.18), in reply: I thank Mr Rattenbury and the Greens for their support of this bill. I note that the Liberal Party is opposed to this bill and, after two years of policy development, nine or more months of public consultation, detailed community discussion on the issue, is still unwilling and unready to debate this legislation.
They will oppose provisions which provide new powers to police to deal with antisocial behaviour. They will oppose provisions that place greater responsibility on licensees for the responsible service of alcohol. They will oppose provisions that give
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