Page 106 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2016
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(1) calls on the ACT Government to not sign any contract(s) to design and build light rail with the selected consortium until after the 2016 ACT election when the ACT community will have decided if they wish the project to proceed; and
(2) in the event the ACT Government chooses to disrespect the citizens of Canberra by entering into contracts prior to the ACT election, calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) include a termination for convenience clause;
(b) not allow the consortium to enter long term financial commitments for components such as rolling stock and steel; and
(c) require the consortium to concentrate early work on utility relocation and upgrades, depot construction and roadworks.
The opposition today calls on the ACT government to not sign contracts to build light rail until after the ACT election. This motion does not necessarily say that the government has to cancel it right away, even though that is of course what a Liberal government would do. Instead, we are simply asking that the government allow Canberrans to vote on this issue in October.
The premise is simple. If the government are retained, they can proceed with light rail. However if the Liberal Party goes into government we will simply do what we are saying we will do and we will do what we will have a mandate to do, and that is stop light rail from going ahead. This should be a common sense and rational position for this Assembly to agree to. It is undeniably the best way to respect Canberrans, their opinions, and their money. It is also the best way, I believe, to show respect to the consortium. My motion today puts the issue of light rail firmly into the hands of Canberrans and takes it away from the backroom deal done at the tail end of 2012.
Like it or not, Mr Corbell, Mr Rattenbury and their government colleagues must understand that there is a risk that this project will be terminated in October. It is something they may not like to contemplate, but it is a fact. If the Liberal Party forms a government, we will do what we would have been elected to do, and that is terminate light rail.
The Canberra Liberals could not have made our position any clearer. We have told people well in advance exactly what we will do. By doing that, we are firmly trusting Canberrans to make a decision. They can endorse the Labor government’s plan for light rail, or they can endorse the Liberal opposition’s approach to light rail. It is as simple as that.
We do not support light rail. Indeed, we announced our intention to not build light rail on 30 April 2014. In the 18 months prior to that we of course flagged significant concerns, and we kept saying that we would wait to see more information before we make a definitive call. But on 30 April 2014, 651 days ago, we said that we would not be going ahead with this project. We are the party that has been honest with the people of Canberra before the election. It is the Liberal opposition which is exactly saying what we will do, in contrast to the flippant $30 million commitment made by those opposite in 2012.
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