Page 2234 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 22 June 2011
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commuters but for the commuters around New South Wales without the Majura parkway.
We are not building the road because we like building roads; we are building the road because we need to build the road. That will also mean that we need to look at other and increased funding going into other public transport options. All of that work is currently being done. It is the government’s priority, and it is being led by Minister Corbell.
But it is important, I think, that the motions before us today send a very clear message to the federal government in my quest to get the additional funding for this road that we need to proceed by July next year and that we are able to say in the meetings that I will continue to have with federal representatives that we have the support of the Assembly. I would prefer that it is a unanimous view, but it does not appear that we are going to get a unanimous view this morning. But I will take a majority view, even if that means us entering into some unholy alliance with the Liberal Party. In the end, that will deliver the result that we want, which is that the road is acknowledged as a major project, that the Assembly supports it and that it adds further weight to my advocacy when going up to federal parliament.
I note we have been advised that the Liberal Party will not be supporting our motion. I just think that is pathetic. They have decided that, after doing absolutely nothing in terms of support or work or advocacy around the road, they now want to make sure that it is their motion that gets up for the Majura parkway. How pathetic. It has to be their motion, not the Labor Party’s motion. It needs to be Alistair’s motion. What they will do is they will risk having no motion get up this morning, because the Greens will not support our motion, we will not support the Greens’ motion, and the Liberals will not support our motion, and young Alistair has to have his motion get up. How pathetic. I cannot wait to see the media release—“The Liberal Party deliver the Majura parkway through Alistair Coe’s motion.” Let us pat ourselves on the back. That is apparently the important issue here today. Well, it will be seen for what it is—just pathetic.
The issue for the government is getting a view from this Assembly. If that means Dr Bourke’s motion goes down in order for us to get the result, then we are bigger than that, and we will vote to support Alistair Coe’s motion in the interest of getting a result on the Majura parkway.
There is sympathy for some of the issues, I think, that the Greens have raised around looking at and examining and always trying to find alternatives to just building roads to deal with some of our traffic issues. The Labor Party is open to all of that. But, in the instance of the Majura parkway, we are absolutely convinced that this road needs to be built. There is a timetable for delivery of this road. We are very keen to get the road underway in July next year. We will do everything we can to make sure that the road is shovel ready for construction so that the minute the commonwealth come to the party—I have not given up on that—we are able to proceed with this very important project for Canberra and the surrounding region.
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