Page 3141 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 20 August 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Minister Gentleman is perfectly entitled to highlight the history of Liberal Party policymaking when it comes to public service provision. That is entirely relevant to how the public can view the intent of political parties when it comes to public transport policy. We know the position of the Liberal Party on this matter. We have seen it over the last two decades. We have seen it consistently. That is why there is a lack of trust by the community in those opposite in relation to public transport provision.
We acknowledge that we need to do better with weekend bus services. No-one is denying that, and the minister and the government will get on in the coming weeks with various and many solutions to address this challenge in the medium term. But we do have ambition to provide a better public transport service for Canberra. We are investing more, and we will continue to do so, to improve public transport provision.
I do note, with respect to Ms Le Couteur’s comments, that, as a member who has been in this place for a while too, it was not always the case that those opposite would express concern around public transport provision. I accept the point Ms Le Couteur has made; to the extent that we are having this debate at all, it probably does represent an advance. But I think you hear in the context of the speeches that they were highly personal, highly political and did not focus on the public policy issues in question, which is what we have seen from this opposition consistently, Madam Speaker.
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Coe, that is enough.
MR BARR: It is what we have seen consistently over years and years. In conclusion, we will not be supporting the censure motion. We remain focused on addressing the short and medium-term challenges in rolling out a far superior weekend public transport network. We have the ambition to deliver more frequent and more reliable weekend bus services, and even those opposite acknowledge that the new network provides a much greater span of coverage on the weekends than was previously the case.
On that note of agreement, I believe that, stripping aside all of the politics and all of the personal attacks, each of us in this place wishes for a more reliable and more frequent weekend bus service. Minister Steel will get on with delivering that for the community as part of his core responsibilities as minister for transport. The government will not be supporting the censure motion this morning.
MISS C BURCH (Kurrajong) (11.20): I rise to speak to Ms Le Couteur’s amendment and to move the further amendment circulated in my name. I move:
Add:
“(5) censure the Minister for Transport and City Services for his failure to address the ongoing workforce planning issues in the Transport Portfolio, and to deliver the bus network as was promised to Canberrans.”.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video