Page 2489 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 13 August 2014
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$915 million. However, the city to Gungahlin line is a 12-kilometre route. Based on Mr Nairn’s own assumptions, $44.22 million per kilometre multiplied by 12 kilometres equals $566 million, not $915 million—a fairly basic accounting error that neither Mr Nairn nor Mr Coe have yet been able to explain. These are the failings in the Liberals’ critique.
The government has recently completed a six-week community consultation program to allow stakeholders and the community an opportunity to comment and provide feedback on the stage 1 design and contribute to the final design proposals. This consultation program has sought views from a broad range of members of the community, focusing on the strategic approach, about the policy and planning principles that guide the project; the passenger experience, about what you can expect as a light rail passenger in Canberra; the urban design, which is critical, about how the corridor will look and feel with light rail; and what we are building, about the specifications of how it will work.
We have seen really strong interest from the community through this public consultation process, with over 6,000 visits to the website, over 400 people completing an online survey, and more than 30 meetings with stakeholder groups, including Pedal Power, the Master Builders Association, community councils, businesses, schools and other organisations that are based along the corridor. We received some really valuable feedback, including on the location of some of the key stops along the route; issues associated with traffic management, trees and other landscaping along the corridor; and the key issue of integration with other modes of transport, particularly cycling, and integration with the bus network. With more than 800 individual comments from the community through contact, the government’s Capital Metro Agency is now taking the time to analyse these responses and will make the results of those community consultation activities available when that analysis is complete.
The government has not chosen this project on a whim; the government has not done so because of some personal ownership on the part of me or any other minister. It is worth reasserting that this was a policy taken to the election by the Labor Party. It was a written policy statement released by me and the Chief Minister.
Mr Coe interjecting—
MR CORBELL: Again, I heard Mr Coe in silence, but he just cannot help himself. It was released before the election. Unless I had some amazing ability to predict the outcome of the election and the fact that there would subsequently be a parliamentary agreement with Mr Rattenbury, it is quite extraordinary for Mr Coe to continue to assert otherwise. But, clearly, he does.
We chose this project because it is the best long-term outcome for our city. It delivers dedicated, rapid, reliable public transit services. It establishes the foundation for an extension of a network across the city and it provides us with the capability to galvanise development along key corridors and around key centres that delivers the sustainable pattern of urban development that our city now needs. We have the highest level of car dependency of any city in the country, and it is time to start the journey to change that. That is what this project is all about. (Time expired.)
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