Page 3503 - Week 08 - Thursday, 23 August 2012
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transport priority and for public transport services to commence early into Molonglo. My understanding is that John Gorton Drive currently will allow for the possibility of a future upgrade for public transport priority but will not include it from the start.
As the Greens have argued a number of times, it is very important to provide quality public transport services to new developments early. To quote a study on long-term planning of Melbourne, residents in new developments should have early, timely access to public transport in order to establish long-term sustainable travel patterns and to reduce car dependency. This is a well-understood principle that the ACT has not put into practice. As the Greens have said numerous times, it does not have to be a fixed route. Flexible transport services or demand response of transport is an option for new development areas. It also assists the government to gather data they can use to plan for future fixed routes.
I note that this budget announced the creation of an office in the LDA to assist with managing the proposed future development on the Northbourne Avenue corridor. Many questions still remain about this project, such as whether and when this office will become an independent office, which mode choice the government will pursue and what the timing is. I ask the minister to make all the relevant information public. In the estimates hearing the minister referred to different options for developing Northbourne Avenue, including options that have not yet been released. This included a cheaper option that involves utilising the existing traffic plan in Northbourne Avenue for rapid mass transit. The minister said in estimates that this detail would be released later at the same time as further costing details are released. I hope this occurs.
We have learned recently that the government has also made a bid to Infrastructure Australia for a detailed study on Northbourne Avenue, a bid that is contingent on the federal government paying half the money. I would appreciate it if the government could provide further detail about what further design work is still required on Northbourne and what is the way forward if the federal government does not pay half the money. I am also interested in why the bid was not for design work on an ACT-wide plan, because obviously any northern rapid transit line needs to be part of a growing ACT-wide network. If the government pursues mass transit on Northbourne, how will that become part of a Canberra-wide mass transit system to include other key areas such as Woden, Tuggeranong, Belconnen and the new suburb of Molonglo? These are all very important questions and critical to the future of Canberra in terms of how our transport system will develop into the future.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (11.17): The Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate is a wide-ranging directorate and it is bedding down following the change in administrative arrangements following the election of Ms Gallagher as Chief Minister. The portfolio now encompasses transport planning, land use and strategic planning, environment protection, environmental policy, climate change policy, energy, water and a range of other important functions, including those of the Conservator of Flora and Fauna. Tonight I want to address a range of issues in the appropriation bill and respond to some of the comments made by other members.
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