Page 465 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 13 February 2013
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Mr Barr: I do not know what you are referring to by that.
MR HANSON: When people park at Manuka, they often park in the street or they park on some of the school ovals and those surrounds.
Mr Barr: There are designated major event parking areas for Manuka.
MR HANSON: That is right.
Mr Barr: Yes.
THE CHAIR: Will they be upgraded?
Mr Barr: No.
There you have it. Labor’s solution is to offer city car parks for those travelling from interstate and elsewhere in Canberra to an event at Manuka Oval. Is it a surprise, then, that Labor’s parking strategy for Manuka Oval is to bring in more parking inspectors?
I would be interested to know just how many of the cars that were booked—and media reports have it at around 183—were from interstate. When I was heading back to my car I did indeed speak to some people who were interstate visitors, who were absolutely astounded by the welcome they got for having had such a great time and who then were faced with some fairly severe penalties. Giving you a parking ticket is a great souvenir for visitors to this city.
But why should we be surprised? Similar complaints have been received for many of our tourist attractions, Questacon and the National Library being just two other examples. And on any given Saturday throughout the year we have the same issue with parking for every sporting match, from local school sports to major games with interstate teams. What are the parents, for example, supposed to do, other than park on the Canberra Avenue median strip when St Edmund’s have their Saturday Rugby matches? There is no alternative parking, once the streets all around the school are taken up, and that is quite early in the day. And I know this from personal experience.
No government, obviously, can solve every parking problem. That is acknowledged, and we do acknowledge that. But Labor has no plan other than to reduce car parking spaces.
Canberra Liberals know the importance of getting transport options right. Unlike Labor and unlike the Greens, we understand that Canberra families need their cars to take their children to school and sport, to shop, to go to work, to visit friends and to attend appointments. Before the last election, we proposed an audit of parking facilities and parking costs across Canberra. Our intentions are clear. Canberra needs more, not fewer, parking spaces across Canberra’s major centres. By comparison, Labor’s strategy is to provide less, and the Greens’ strategy is probably to provide none.
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