Page 2389 - Week 08 - Thursday, 5 August 2021
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city. We have now brought this to two elections—two elections where you opposed it. Now it seems that the Liberals want to oppose it again, based on an obvious premise that this is going to have a disruptive effect. But at every stage we will try and minimise and mitigate that disruption during the infrastructure build. We will work with the infrastructure delivery partners to make sure that the way that they design their program mitigates as much as possible the impact on our traffic network. We do not want to see people sitting in gridlock. That is why we are undertaking the measures that I have announced around infrastructure improvements, around behaviour change, better public transport and active travel options, so that we can give Canberrans choices and opportunities to get into work as fast as possible and keep the city moving, while we build this important infrastructure project that will benefit Canberrans for generations to come.
MS CASTLEY: Minister, why are you imposing years of massive disruptions, all for the sake of making commuter times from Woden almost 50 per cent slower?
MR STEEL: I reject the premise of the question. It is really disappointing to hear this from Ms Castley, because this is a project that is going to benefit Gungahlin residents. It is a Gungahlin to Deakin project. It is a Dickson to Deakin project. It is a Dickson to Woden project. Whichever way you cut it, this is an extension of the line from the north to the south. It is going to provide a mass transit line. Four times the number of people can fit on a light rail vehicle compared to a bus. This, for the first time, will open up public transport stops between Woden and the city that do not exist up until Albert Hall. There is no way to get on a bus between those points, or to get on at State Circle to access the parliamentary triangle and the employment hubs there, or to access the Deakin employment hub.
This will provide a mass transit system for our growing city, an integrated transit system, with our bus system serving the suburbs. This is the significant, future-focused investment that our government has taken to the last two elections, and it has been backed in by the community—bitterly fought elections, where you fought every step of the way against these projects, and they rejected your view of the world—
Mrs Jones interjecting—
MR STEEL: because you do not stand up for your own communities in Gungahlin, or in Woden, Mrs Jones. We are getting on with the job of providing better public transport, more environmentally-friendly transport and a more vibrant city. We are going to build light rail and create over 6,000 jobs, which you would not do if you were in government.
Alexander Maconochie Centre—COVID-19 vaccinations
MR BRADDOCK: My question is for the Minister for Justice Health. Minister, with the recent lockdown of Goulburn prison, I would be interested in what the ACT government is doing to ensure that people in high-risk environments such as the Alexander Maconochie Centre are protected from COVID.
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