Page 1217 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 7 May 2014
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unreasonable risk of taxpayers’ money and it is also an attempt at pork-barrelling. For Mr Rattenbury, it may be an ideological preference, but for the government it is a matter of winning seats in Gungahlin.
This government has lost sight of delivering on the needs of all Canberrans. The planned light rail will be paid for by all ACT taxpayers, but it will not benefit the people who pay their rates and live in Weston Creek, for example. How will it help them get to work? How will it help them get around? We still do not have a direct bus from Weston Creek to Tuggeranong or a bus from Weston Creek to Belconnen. Where is the money to spend on that?
Will people in Woden benefit from this light rail system? I do not think so. Ratepayers living in Kambah, Torrens and Farrer will not be able to use the light rail system that they will have to pay for. People in Amaroo will still have to use three modes of transport to get to Russell offices, two modes of transport to get to work in the city, three modes of transport to get to work in Woden and perhaps four modes of transport to arrive at Tuggeranong for work.
The light rail system will not resolve the gridlock for half a day on Horse Park Drive or Gundaroo Drive. These roads will still have to be used just as much as ever to get people to the town centre or elsewhere. In the last campaign, the ALP candidate up in Gungahlin stood at the crossing and promised people who asked about the duplication of Horse Park Drive that this government would deliver a duplication of that road.
I challenge members of the government to drive out to Forde, Amaroo or Bonner and to drive to Civic at 8 am or 8.30 am. I challenge them to drive out to Ngunnawal, Casey or south Amaroo and try to get to the GDE via Gundaroo Drive any time from 7 am to 10 am and they will see my point.
At a cost of $614 million, plus interest, plus operational costs, which are not yet known, this is another grand plan from the government whilst the basic services that ratepayers expect are neglected and ignored. The focus of the government is not right. The Canberra Liberals would put the focus back on to getting the basics right so that people can get on with living their lives.
Instead of pursuing a public transport model which is so unrealistic with the urban sprawl we currently have, let us deliver the basics before we build the gold-plated tram set for the glory box which will require payment from all Canberrans for the benefit of only very few.
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (4.36): I rise to support Mr Coe’s motion today. It is quite concerning to me that the government is planning to spend at least $614 million on a light rail system that will only service a very small portion of our population and a very small area. As a member for Brindabella, I must pass on the many, many comments I have received from my constituents who will be paying for light rail but in no way seeing the benefit of it.
I am concerned that the ACT government’s own figures demonstrate that there would be a better economic return for bus rapid transport than there would be for the
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