Page 2139 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 8 May 2012
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transport infrastructure. We can look to Brisbane and to Perth for examples where this has happened, and the Gold Coast also most recently. If we do not do this, we are actually going to fall behind what other cities are doing.
Mr Coe in particular has also talked about slashing existing public transport in the ACT. He has said:
... ministers have been absolutely unwilling to step up and make the courageous, tough decisions which need to be made about ACTION rather than simply continuing the status quo. It is simply not sustainable ... Only eight per cent of Canberrans are getting on ACTION buses, yet we are spending $80.9 million.
A real government would ask how they can make that $80.9 million go further, how they can reduce that so they have more money to put into other areas of government, or how they can return it to taxpayers in the form of tax cuts or cuts to other fees and charges. Instead, this government do not want to make those tough decisions.
This suggestion from Mr Coe appears to be that public transport funding is too much when not enough people are using the service and that this money should actually be cut from public transport and returned to people in the form of tax cuts or reduced fees. We know, however, that with greater investment in all forms of transport, particularly public transport, more people will use it. We have examples of this across the country.
We also know that the Canberra community wants greater investment in public transport infrastructure. The Chief Minister has already referred to this. It was evidenced by the time to talk report, which showed overwhelming support for this. But we have since had successive budgets from government which have not reflected this.
The Greens oppose slashing public transport services. We believe that public transport needs a much greater focus. Public transport provides massive benefit to a city economically, environmentally and socially. It needs to grow to become a central part of our city. If we are to compete with other cities, including attracting events, we need a mass rapid transit system that is reliable and that can transport people in larger numbers.
Recently the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment made this point:
If the ACT is to create a genuinely sustainable transport system, investment in, and construction of, infrastructure for more sustainable travel options must be seriously considered.
The sustainability and environment commissioner also recognised the cost that not investing in more sustainable transport has on the Canberra community. It should be recognised that transport costs are the second highest household expenditure for Canberrans. This is primarily due to expenses and other costs associated with running cars. The approximate average time that a resident of Canberra has to work in order to pay for a car is 550 hours a year, or 1½ hours every day.
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