Page 1915 - Week 07 - Thursday, 13 August 2020
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If the minister is so willing, in an election year, to pork-barrel network improvements into key suburbs to improve his chances of winning re-election, then he does have the capacity, and should have the capacity, to restore the cruel and unjustified bus stop removals that have unfairly punished these residents.
Madam Speaker, this is not the first time I have brought forward a petition regarding bus cuts in this place, and it is not the first time that the minister has ignored the ongoing concerns of vulnerable, elderly and mobility-impaired Canberrans. My question to the minister is: just how many petitions, how many pieces of negative feedback and how many more tweaks will it take for him to finally treat Canberra residents with respect and restore the bus services that they deserve?
Municipal services—Farrer—petitions 10-20 and 15-20
MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (10.09): I want to speak very briefly in support of Ms Cody’s petition about public facilities for Farrer nature play and bike park. The Farrer nature play and bike park area has been incredibly popular, and is a great credit to the people of Farrer, and also the ACT government, who funded it. Because of its great popularity, there is a need for toilet facilities.
I am aware of the need for toilet facilities throughout Canberra. This is a discussion we need to have more of in Canberra, particularly as we are getting older. Old and young people tend to have—not necessarily—continence issues. I am an ex-Downer resident, and I was part of the unsuccessful campaign to keep the toilets open in Downer. I know the campaign is starting again. I understand there is a campaign in Kaleen.
We need to look at how we provide toilet facilities outside. It is a lot of work to keep toilet facilities in good nick, but we must be able to find a way of doing it. I suspect it may be a public-private partnership where the toilets are provided by the shopkeepers in the local shops and subsidised by the government so that they are available to everyone. I am not sure what the solution is, but I know that this is an issue that exercises the minds and the bladders of many people in Canberra, and it is something that I hope the next government puts some energy into.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
City Renewal Authority and Suburban Land Agency Amendment Bill 2020
Mr Barr, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Social Inclusion and Equality, Minister for Tourism and Special Events and Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment) (10.11): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
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