Page 1440 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 6 May 2015
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I will therefore be supporting what has been proposed by those opposite regarding my motion, but I will look at what comes forward in September to make sure that it is substantive and that there is a body of work that has been done that will address the need. I do put those opposite on notice that if they pay lip-service to this in September, I will revisit this issue. If what is tabled in this place in September is substantive and is on the right track, that will be good, and I will welcome that, but we will wait and see.
In closing, I thank those opposite. I think it is important that we in this place work together cooperatively, that we make sure that action is taken on this, because ultimately the youth of Canberra are increasingly at risk from this scourge. We must do everything we can to protect them and we must do everything we can to make sure that those on the front line, be they government workers, the healthcare workers in our hospitals, the police or our community sector workers in the drug rehab agencies, are adequately resourced, adequately informed and can work together as part of a whole-of-government response. I thank those opposite and I look forward to the government providing its response to this place by the end of September.
Mr Rattenbury’s amendment to Mr Barr’s proposed amendments agreed to.
Mr Barr’s amendments, as amended, agreed to.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Transport—light rail
MR COE (Ginninderra) (5.12): I move:
That this Assembly calls on the ACT Government to delay signing any more contracts to build, design, operate or maintain light rail until after the 2016 Australian Capital Territory election.
Today I call on the ACT government to not sign contracts relating to the capital metro light rail project before the next ACT election in October 2016. In this way the voters of Canberra can have their say on the project before a 23-year, $2 billion commitment is signed. This motion is about giving Canberrans a voice when it comes to light rail. Costing $783 million in capital, capital metro is the largest infrastructure project ever committed to by an ACT government. Given this large cost, it deserves the chance to be voted on by the people of Canberra, with full knowledge of the costs, routes, stops and predicted patronage levels.
It is important that we again run through the factors surrounding this light rail project. It will cost $783 million to construct light rail along the 12-kilometre route, a median aligned route from Gungahlin town centre to Alinga Street in the city. Once constructed, it will cost between $23 million and $61 million a year to operate and maintain light rail until 2040. The ACT government will fund light rail through an availability public-private partnership. In essence, it means that the ACT government will pay an annual availability payment to a private consortium to design, build, operate and maintain light rail until 30 June 2039. Respected economists such as
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