Page 514 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 13 February 2013
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But the reality, Mr Barr, and you know this, is that there are no 7,500 vacant car parking spaces waiting there for people to park in. That is the reality that you have to face up to. You are in denial about that. And until you do, you are waiting for your—
Mr Barr interjecting—
MR DOSZPOT: I—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Gentleman): Minister Barr! Mr Doszpot, if you could just address your comments through here it might—
MR DOSZPOT: My apologies, Mr Assistant Speaker. The reality is that there is a problem in Manuka regardless of whether there is any match on at Manuka Oval. There is a problem in the whole Manuka-Kingston precinct. The fact is that the lights have come in. We commend the fact that new facilities and new options that are available for our sporting enthusiasts will bring more people from the surrounding areas and will bring more people from interstate.
I sat with a group of people who came from interstate and who were very happy with what they saw at the stadium. When they went back to their cars, those very people were then faced with taking home souvenirs that Mr Smyth alluded to. They found that they were taking back quite a nice little yellow envelope as a souvenir and additional expense for their visit.
What we are talking about, Mr Barr, is to look at the good elements of what is available at the moment but recognise there is a problem. You are asking us to recognise the work that you have done. We are saying lights, good work; parking, not so good.
Members interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Members! Mr Doszpot has the floor.
MR DOSZPOT: Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. I think we have spent a fair bit of time on this, and I think it is reaching the point where I do not think the community of Canberra deserves to have the sort of levity that Mr Barr is introducing into this at the moment.
There is a serious problem. There is an issue that our sporting community would like to see addressed, and my motion is seeking to do that. I am asking for the government to develop a parking management plan for the Manuka precinct for future games that takes into consideration the need for short-term temporary parking for large numbers of cars at major events, recognising that not everyone wants to or can avail themselves of public transport, no matter how many buses are provided or how well they are promoted.
But having asked for that as a motion, I guess I then look at recommendation 91 in the estimates committee report to the government in 2011-12. The committee recommended that the ACT government develop a comprehensive transport plan to
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