Page 3371 - Week 09 - Thursday, 22 August 2019
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He has been a minister of this government for seven years now. What do the people of Tuggeranong have to show for it? Fewer bus services, fewer local services and not a peep from our local Labor MLAs.
The only party that is making to cuts to basic, and often essential, services is Labor. It is Labor. It is the only party that is making cuts. Minister Steel is making cuts to weekend bus services. Minister Ramsay is making cuts to legal aid. Minister Stephen-Smith wants to deny arthritis sufferers access to an essential service. And all the while, Mr Barr continues to squeeze local business and residents for every cent that he can get his hands on.
The only party that is privatising public transport in Canberra is the Labor Party. It is the only party that is privatising. It is not us. How absurd that over there they are warning that we evil Liberals are going to privatise, when we are having a longer conversation about Icon Water and asking why it was ever privatised in the first place. It is just absurd.
Mr Barr continually says that past behaviour is a good indicator of future behaviour. I would agree with the Chief Minister absolutely and completely. When he says it, he is trying to suggest that somehow what has gone on in other jurisdictions with Liberal parties in power is a link to us in terms of past behaviour. This is not Adelaide; this is not any other jurisdiction. This is the ACT. Past behaviour is usually a great indicator of future behaviour. This government’s rap sheet is metres and metres long. I cannot believe that the Chief Minister would bring this up as an example. Past behaviour is a wonderful indication of future behaviour.
On that basis, I would expect that this government, if it is returned in 2020, will continue to squeeze Canberra families through its escalating raft of taxes and charges. Health services in our town will continue to lag behind the rest of the country because this government refuses to get that most important shop in order. We will continue to pay more than every other jurisdiction in the areas of education and corrections, but our outcomes will continue to fall behind. If past behaviour is an indication of future behaviour, we will continue to see a decline in the per capita numbers of police; we will continue to see a lack of basic suburban services; and we will continue to see people let down by their bus services, particularly in outer suburban areas.
Andrew wrote to me this week—not Mr Wall or Mr Barr: a different Andrew. He said:
My son caught one bus from Bonython to Belconnen to go to work every morning. It was full of paying customers all going to work.
Now, with the new timetable, he has to catch one bus to Tuggeranong, one to the city and one to Belconnen. He gets to work late. Andrew says, “Why did they change the south side buses? We didn’t get the tram.” That is from Andrew.
Jamie wrote to me on the same thread. He said:
They need to revert back to the old bus routes and service south side. 1400 metres to the nearest bus stop with severely arthritic knees. It hasn’t been fun twice every day.
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