Page 935 - Week 03 - Thursday, 19 March 2015
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MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, can you assure this Assembly that Canberra has enough police?
MS BURCH: I can assure the Assembly that ACT Policing is adequate to respond to the demands of this community. Should there be need, as the ESA go to the support of other jurisdictions in times of extreme need, I am sure that other jurisdictions—and I am not saying that that is the case; I am not saying that that is the case at all, Mr Hanson—
Mr Hanson: So that is your response, is it?
MS BURCH: My response is that we—
Mr Hanson: Call for help.
MS BURCH: No, it is not. I was saying that we have adequate resources, but also I was just trying to answer at some other level of depth. I was saying that across ESA and Policing, particularly as we are part of the AFP, it is not the case. We do not need it. But it is right for these services, as we know, to step in and help, should that be needed.
Transport—light rail
DR BOURKE: My question is to the Chief Minister and Treasurer. Chief Minister, can you update the Assembly about progress made towards delivering capital metro as a public-private partnership, including details about the bidders who have proceeded to the next stage and what that means for confidence in Canberra as an investment destination?
MR BARR: I thank Dr Bourke for the question. It is fair to say that light rail has been part of Canberra’s future since our very first days. The people of Canberra elected us to finally end the talking and the tiptoeing and to get this project done. In September last year Minister Corbell and I hosted an investment industry forum on the project, with over 370 industry representatives and 257 companies—local, Australian and international. In December last year four consortia submitted expressions of interest to work with us in a public-private partnership to build and run a light rail line.
Yesterday Minister Corbell announced that two of these consortia have been shortlisted—ACTivate and Canberra Metro. Both consortia have experience in delivering national and international projects, and it is a sign of just how confident investors are in our city that we have received such high quality bids from such world-class bidders.
The members of the ACTivate group are an impressive group and are well-known and respected businesses. These include: Keolis Downer, the largest light rail operator in Australia and part of the largest operator of light rail in the world; Bombardier, the
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