Page 3915 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 25 September 2019
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The Liberals’ campaign of misinformation has been nothing short of egregious. They have no plan to tackle the very real threat of climate change, and we have heard that very clearly today, with just criticism and criticism and no solutions. It is not just Mr Hanson and Mr Coe. Let us reflect for a moment on Miss C Burch, whose Facebook post last Friday was her most popular ever but in the worst way possible for her. Miss C Burch suggested that a school drop-off could include an adult ferrying children in a trolley attached to a bike. “This is what school drop-off will look like if the Barr government gets its way,” she threatened.
Almost immediately the responses trickled in and then they came in a flood. “Looks fantastic,” “Yes, let us have more of this,” “How great is this? Kids are having fun outdoors, mum is getting exercise, showing them how to be healthy, safe, productive adults,” “Great idea,” or “Keep up the good work.” Here is another:
As a constituent of yours, a commuter cyclist and dad, who takes his son to day care in a bike trailer three days a week, I am keen to understand why you think using active transport to ferry kids to and from schools is a bad thing.
Mr Coe: Why do you like Candice’s Facebook so much?
MS CHEYNE: If I am honest, I found that this post was shared so much, Mr Coe, I just could not get away from it. I find this post incredibly disappointing and it confirms my suspicions that the Canberra Liberals are deeply anti-active transport. This post follows another recent post where you advocated that people should be able to illegally park their cars for free at major sports matches and not get fined. Why are cars, and not people, such a priority?
Pertinently—and I suggest the Leader of the Opposition listen—this should be that moment when you realise that what you stand for is completely irrelevant today and everybody is eons ahead of you. If that post was not a lesson, I do not know what is. The opposition needs to wake up. This is a moral challenge. Their obsession with a campaign of misinformation reflects their failure to deliver any coherent policy on one of the biggest challenges facing our city, our country and the planet.
I note that Minister Rattenbury corrected the record on a number of issues during question time, but it is important to keep being clear about what exactly is the truth. We have never, ever suggested that we would force people out of their cars. Car-free days are not banning the use of cars across the territory. We already temporarily close roads in designated areas. And guess what? On the weekend London, Paris and Berlin did it too and there were not riots; people got on with it. People used these spaces that are almost always dedicated to cars in different ways. It helped people think about things differently and move about their city differently. What is wrong with that?
We are not requiring people to drive electric vehicles tomorrow. People can make their own choices about the vehicles they drive. But zero emission vehicles are becoming more attractive. They are coming onto the market in an affordable way. And perhaps less affordable, but still relevant, Porsche, of all car companies, has a new all-electric, four-door coupe. As more people look to take up zero emission vehicles, it makes sense that we provide measures to assist with that transition.
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