Page 1347 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 12 May 2021
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We really need to make sure that people who want to access flexible working can do so, and we need to help all businesses, employers and employees to adapt to that. It is the most inclusive thing we can probably do. It helps women and it helps a lot of individuals who would not otherwise be in that workplace. It means that you can work and raise your family at the same time. It is really good to see that we have made a lot of progress in this transport plan, and I welcome it.
MS DAVIDSON (Murrumbidgee—Assistant Minister for Seniors, Veterans, Families and Community Services, Minister for Disability, Minister for Justice Health and Minister for Mental Health) (11.29): I just want to make a few comments in my capacity as an MLA for Murrumbidgee. I noticed in the ACT transport recovery plan that there is some mention of data and engagement as core tools to drive more customer-centric outcomes. There is some talk in there about using the data insights that are generated across our transport networks to ensure that services respond to the way people want and need to travel and, at the same time, stepping up consultation and research with people in the community to better understand their needs in this rapidly-changing environment. Frankly, you cannot make me happier than evidence-based decision-making that uses both quantitative and qualitative data; so this is fantastic.
I notice that in the 2017 ACT and Queanbeyan-Palerang household travel survey there were some gender differences that were found in travel patterns. There has been a commitment from TCCS to continue to gather that gender data in future surveys, which I am really looking forward to seeing. It is also important that we have intersectional data analysis for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities and people in our multicultural community. I really welcome the access reference group, which will absolutely help with planning a system that works well for people with disabilities.
We know from the existing data that only 26 per cent of trips in that 2017 survey were work related, but that this was 31.8 per cent of trips for men and 20.9 per cent for women. We also know that women make 13 per cent more trips per day than men in Canberra and that women aged 30 to 49 years with zero daily income had the highest daily average, with 4.6 trips per day. This is because women do a lot more trip-chaining than men, which includes things like dropping off and picking up other people on the way, maybe having to stop and pick up something from the chemist or the shops on the way to or from work or home or other places they have to go.
We also know that women are the fastest growing group in our community getting into cycling and that the changes in the way that we work and live as a result of the restrictions in 2020 have accelerated women moving to active travel. Bike shops sold out of bicycles for women in 2020, which was fantastic to see.
As we return to workplaces and schools, now is a fantastic time to provide people with active travel pathways that are safe and accessible for a greater number of cyclists, scooters and skaters, as well as end-of-trip facilities and bike and ride locations. I welcome all of the work that is being done on that. Based on feedback from my Murrumbidgee community, they are looking for fast-route cycle paths that
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