Page 2012 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 4 June 2019
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This indifference is despite the fact that police in other jurisdictions across the country advise that it is unsafe for children under the age of 12 to be travelling to and from school unsupervised. In fact, as I mentioned last sitting week, in Queensland it is a criminal offence for parents to do just that. This wilful ignorance, combined with a total lack of concern from Ms Fitzharris, means that yet again I must stand here and fight for the safety of schoolchildren and for parents across the territory in the hope that the minister will finally listen.
I will address some of the myths surrounding this issue and perpetuated by those on the other side of politics. This is not a private-school issue, and the solution is not simply to tell parents to send their kids to their local public school. For many Canberra kids, their local public school is still four or five kilometres away. An eight or 10-kilometre round trip is much too far for many primary school children. Expecting these children to walk this distance or to navigate numerous lengthy and complex public bus routes is just unacceptable. Is it really too much to ask that the government provide services to get children to and from school safely?
Last sitting week, Minister Fitzharris openly admitted just how misplaced her priorities are when she stated:
Running a dedicated service on occasion carrying only a handful of students alongside a regular service does not make sense from an efficiency point of view.
I am sure Ms Le Couteur will agree when I say that public transport is not just about efficiency. If it was, we would not call it public transport.
When we are talking about getting children to and from school, safety should be a key priority. Other jurisdictions understand that, despite the cost, running a dedicated school service that ensures children get to school safely and are not unsupervised for an unreasonable amount of time is a core service the government should provide. For example, schools and parents in Victoria can apply for a dedicated school service if they have a minimum of 15 students who will use it.
No longer can the minister claim that the Canberra Liberals are being “irresponsible and reckless” in bringing this issue to the Assembly’s attention. In doing so, she is claiming that hundreds of parents who are genuinely worried about the safety of their children are irresponsible and reckless for caring as well. By ignoring the concerns raised in this and other petitions, Minister Fitzharris is treating the Canberrans that she claims to represent and serve with absolute contempt. For that, she should be ashamed.
I am proud to present this petition to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Environment and Transport and City Services—Standing Committee
Reference
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