Page 399 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 21 March 2023
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The decision to slash these students’ bus service was taken four years ago with almost no consultation. One poorly advertised feedback session was held on campus in August 2018, with only 30 students attending. The undergraduate association was separately consulted but the postgraduate student association was not, despite more than half of ANU students being postgraduates. Aware of this inexcusable oversight the postgraduate association requested a consultation. I have been told that it followed this government’s now familiar pattern: officials showed up, told the students what was going to happen, and then told them it was going to happen whether they liked it or not. We all know how ACT Labor and the Greens responded to the petition that I tabled on behalf of disregarded ANU students four years ago. I suspect we all know how ACT Labor and the Greens will respond to this petition as well.
It has been said that the very definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ANU students, of course, are not insane. Many of them will not have been in Canberra the last time this was tried. I suspect they will have asked Ms Clay to table this petition on their behalf because they sincerely believe that the Greens support viable public transport options for Canberra’s residents. The ACT government’s response to their petition will no doubt form a part of their education into how things in this territory actually work! Nevertheless, to use another well-known quote, hope springs eternal! So I am willing to express hope that someday Canberra will have the government it deserves and that ANU will have its bus route back. In the meantime, Mr Acting Speaker, I commend this petition to the Assembly.
Roads—Harrison—petition 41-22
MR BRADDOCK (Yerrabi) (10.26): Nullarbor Avenue in Harrison is a suburban street that includes a school, playing fields, the heritage listed Well Station farmstead and suburban households. It is also in close proximity to Mother Teresa Primary School, childcare and Mullion Park. The street was originally a cul-de-sac. However, with the opening of the street to Well Station Drive it has seen higher and higher use and higher speeds of through traffic. This through traffic poses a safety risk to residents, other vehicle users of the street including bus services and the large number of pedestrians such as school children walking along the street to attend school and sporting events. This traffic is also causing extra and unnecessary neighbourhood noise. It is difficult for residents living on the street to cross the road or pull out of their driveways. The speed limit on the street is currently set at 60 kilometres per hour, and the street is without speed controls at the residential end. The speed is above the standards set for the government’s priority on better neighbourhoods.
This petition calls on the ACT government to reduce the speed on Nullarbor Avenue to 50 kilometres per hour, maintaining the existing 40 kilometre per hour school zone, and to introduce speed controls to increase the safety to the community, better the neighbourhood and reduce the through traffic of this neighbourhood street.
We as an ACT government need to design our suburbs around people not cars and ensure people are able to move around their neighbourhood safely. It is for this reason I am an enthusiastic sponsor of this petition. I would like to acknowledge and
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