Page 6 - Week 01 - Monday, 31 October 2016
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Canberra that is powered 100 per cent by renewable energy and a city where you can move around on convenient, reliable and affordable public transport.
So let us be clear on this matter once and for all: Labor took a commitment to start light rail to the 2012 election. We were elected and we delivered on that commitment. We took a commitment to stage 2 of light rail to the 2016 election. We have been elected and we will deliver on that commitment. The mandate is clear: Canberrans want investment in public transport; Canberrans want light rail.
With Canberra growing by 5,000 people every year, it is simply impossible for us now to turn back to being a small, provincial country town and it would be irresponsible to suggest otherwise. This government has been re-elected to ensure that planning for our growing city does not mean that we lose the Canberra that we all love.
Ours will always be a city of lakes but ours is a city of bridges too, of the things we build and of the projects we share. We are a community with ambition in a city with advantage, and it is our job as a re-elected government to realise that ambition by capitalising on our advantages—advantages like being a smart, livable city that has enormous potential. We will work to diversify our economy and play to our city’s strengths in higher education, research and technology. With great health care, education, transport and public amenities we will make the world’s most livable city a place where people come to visit and a place where people stay, a place to grow businesses and a place to raise families.
We have been re-elected to deliver a 10-year healthcare plan that delivers care when you need it: real care in real hospitals, five nurse-led walk-in centres and more bulk-billing practices. We have been re-elected to continue to deliver an education system where every child can reach their potential in a diverse economy supporting well-paid and secure jobs and with a plan to build the infrastructure that Canberra needs. Our first 100 days of government will set these priorities in action.
The government will commence scoping and design for the new nurse-led walk-in centres and the expansion of the women’s and children’s hospital. We will start procurement of new tech devices for every high school student and we will continue to fund the safe schools program so that Canberra schools remain safe schools for all students.
We have been re-elected to invest further in public transport and in the first 100 days we will release the schedule for all our new rapid bus services to hit the road in this term and commence the staging and design of the second stage of light rail to Woden. We have been re-elected to progress the rollout of green bins by procuring and planning the pilot scheme and giving Weston Creek and Kambah communities their clear start dates. We have been re-elected to join California and South Australia as signatories to the Under 2 MOU and to set firm targets to get to zero emissions by 2050. We will do both of these things within the first 100 days.
The government I lead is working to create a vibrant and renewed city, one that is proud of its own unique identity. We are optimistically confronting the new
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