Page 2555 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 31 July 2019
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things I have been talking about: that we proactively consult with local stakeholders, and proactively consult with businesses along the light rail route, including those that ceased operation after construction began, and, as Mr Steel’s office suggested and put in, those who have begun operations after construction was completed. I must admit that there is a group that is missing, those who started during construction. I am sure Mr Steel’s office will add that to the group.
Point (iii) of paragraph (1)(f) refers to reviewing a number of other issues that have been raised since the commencement of light rail services, such as disability access, women’s safety at night on light rail, including when walking to destinations from stops, and bicycle access on light rail during peak periods, which, I have been told by a number of constituents, is simply not possible because the vehicles are just too full. I assume that this was not anticipated, and I assume that the solution is to put on more services, so that there is more space for bikes and human beings.
I would hope that on day one of the next stage we will not have these problems, and I would hope that fairly soon on this stage at least some of these problems, like the bike access one, have been solved.
In conclusion I will be supporting the ALP’s amendment, with the hope that this time Mr Milligan’s concerns will be properly addressed. Mr Milligan has raised a serious issue and it needs to be dealt with seriously.
MR COE (Yerrabi—Leader of the Opposition) (5.33): I, too, rise to comment briefly on this motion. Mr Milligan has raised an important issue. Mr Milligan has been absolutely steadfast in his commitment to businesses in Gungahlin and, indeed, to all residents who have been severely impacted during the construction phase of light rail.
Anybody who saw the construction process saw the huge levels of dust, the huge inconvenience, the lack of parking and all the other ways that businesses in Gungahlin were adversely affected by the project. We kept getting promises that the government was going to give support to these businesses. It was always three or four months away. As it turned out, that three or four months, of course, never eventuated. For some businesses the process was all too difficult and they went under. There are so many businesses that had to lay off staff, so many businesses that had to downsize in order to compete with all of the challenges that the construction phase posed.
Of course, there is light at the end of the tunnel, but it does not mean much if you do not make it there; and that is the story for some of the businesses in Gungahlin that James Milligan was championing. It is just not right that people can make investments based on government decisions and have the rug pulled out from underneath them. This government has real expertise in shifting the goalposts. We saw it in the taxi industry; we see it in light rail construction and in other industries such as green waste collection. We owe it to all of the small businesses of Canberra to back them in the risks and investments that they make. They do not deserve a government that is actively working against them.
With regard to light rail, we have debated this many times in this place. Today’s debate is not about the substance of light rail, the cost of light rail or how effective it
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