Page 1417 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 April 2013
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look forward to hearing the tangibles and the things that will actually turn into reality as opposed to simply remaining a glossy brochure in the library. We hope government will be forthcoming with details, including realistic costings of any proposed projects.
This motion also recognises the importance of community engagement and consultation. The Canberra Liberals believe community consultation should be an important part of any major planning project. That is why we are concerned when the government makes claims about community consultation when it has a history of not undertaking adequate consultation. This government often claims its plans were designed after extensive consultation. This is wrong. It often turns out that the government did not, in fact, consult with any of the key stakeholders or they consulted and did not take action following the consultation.
Who can forget the debacle of the Hawker village draft master plan which had to be abandoned after the community was so unimpressed with it? What about the draft master plan for Erindale which included plans for units on land which did not belong to the government and, in fact, were on a 100-year flood plain. This government has a terrible record when it comes to consultation, and the Canberra community should be sceptical of any claim that this government is taking their priorities into consideration.
Consultation and community engagement should include genuine information sharing. The community should have access to more than just broad plans and concepts. Taxpayers want to know how their money will be spent and how much will be spent on any given project. They also want to know if there are any cheaper or more expensive options which could be weighed up. Whilst it is not possible to please everyone, the community should expect that, if consultation is undertaken, that consultation will bear some impact on the final project.
Ms Porter’s motion mentions the transport needs of our community, and I too am concerned about that, especially the inadequacy of our parking and public transport system. For a long time I have spoken in this place about the need for improvements to parking and public transport. There is no doubt that ACTION serves some people reasonably. However, I believe the vast majority of Canberrans are not served well by the public transport system. And we all know what this government’s strategy is with regard to parking—fewer spots and more expensive. We have seen it across the city; we have seen it across the town centres; we have often seen it in some of the smaller centres as well.
The motion today also mentions capital metro—again, a buzz term with nothing to show for it as yet, other than the expenditure of a million dollars. I am concerned this government has not been able to provide details of the project and, in fact, refused to provide those details when I asked for them earlier in the year. This is a project which Mr Barr stated would proceed at any cost. Yet the government is unable to provide a detailed estimate of how much Canberra taxpayers will have to pay for it.
While the Canberra Liberals are pleased to see that the government has started thinking about the best use of our city centre, we are concerned about this government’s track record with major infrastructure delivery. This government has a shocking track record when it comes to the delivery of major projects. I do not need to
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