Page 4206 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 21 September 2011
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Ms Bresnan also ignores in her opening comments the work that the government has already announced in relation to light rail along Northbourne Avenue. She makes the sweeping assertion that the government has done no work on this issue since 2008. Wrong, Ms Bresnan! You are wrong. The Chief Minister announced in her priorities following her election earlier this year that the investigation of light rail as an option along Northbourne Avenue was a priority for her and her new administration. But clearly Ms Bresnan has been asleep when it comes to these announcements and clearly the Greens have been asleep when it comes to these announcements.
The government is actively investigating and developing options for the possible development of light rail along Northbourne Avenue. That was announced about two to three months ago. So where have the Greens been? They have been asleep. They were not paying attention and they have been caught out. The government recognises that the first step to deliver light rail in Canberra is to look at it in a staged and segmented way. We have chosen Northbourne Avenue as the case study to try and make it stack up.
As minister responsible for transport planning and for transport delivery, I recognise that we need to work harder and faster on the issue of better transport for our city, better transport choices for our city. This project is a priority for me and it is a priority for the government. The government has set its time frame for the delivery of final options for the government’s consideration as the end of this year.
From the period of the Chief Minister’s election to the end of this year, less than six months in total, we expect to have final options on whether or not light rail should be progressed to the next stage along Northbourne Avenue. That is this government’s commitment. It is clear and straightforward. That is why I am moving the amendment that I put before the Assembly. It is to reflect the fact and to apprise Ms Bresnan of her oversight in relation to this matter.
The government is also very supportive of options for the development of high speed rail and a high speed rail connection into the ACT. High speed rail presents very real and significant benefits. The ability to connect Canberrans to other major centres such as Sydney and Melbourne through a quick and timely journey without having to rely on the risks, both long term and short term, of air travel is a really important step for our city. The government and I as the minister have agreed that we will be coordinating our support for this proposal through a submission to the federal government through the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors.
This is the appropriate forum to pursue this because the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors represents the capital city local government administrations of Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne—the four key cities along the proposed high speed rail link. The government believes that a coordinated response through those four key metropolitan centres is the best way to demonstrate to the federal government our interest in and our commitment to working with them as they make decisions about whether or not a high speed rail link is a link that the federal government is prepared to make a significant investment in.
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