Page 4975 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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need. The primary need and the primary responsibility is the welfare of the children in child-care and, as I am advised, that responsibility is still being met. I thank members for all their additional comments.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
Department of Urban Services
Proposed expenditure - Division 150 - Public Transport, $68,258,200
MR JENSEN (10.44): I am pleased to see that a number of initiatives that have been taken by ACTION to increase the use by the community of public transport have finally come to fruition. A lot of the programs now taking place were launched at various times by the current Minister. They have been in the pipeline for some time. I am referring, of course, to the concept of park and ride, which I think we all support. I know that ACTION were working on that. There is also the three-for-free concept and the express bus service from the far reaches of Canberra into the city. That service, I understand, will be extended in the future. All these concepts have been fostered by successive governments and ACTION management. All of us should support them.
I would like to take this opportunity to be a little parochial and talk about the reduction of services to the Erindale Centre. I know that it has been suggested that this whole issue was considered some two years ago and that that consideration was the basis on which the changes have been made; but it seems to me that maybe things have changed a lot in two years. As I understand it, ACTION, until recently anyway, were not proposing to make any changes.
Following some extensive lobbying on behalf of those people who make use of the Erindale Centre, particularly the centre management and organisations like the Erindale Leisure Centre, the library, the various youth organisations that operate out of there and the soon to be commenced facility at Erindale for our young gymnasts and judo people in that part of the ACT, it would seem that ACTION have decided to reconsider the situation.
A slight redirection of some of those routes may be possible just to make sure that those bus shelters that have now been built in the Erindale Centre get the maximum use. I spent some time and effort seeking to have the bus shelter erected beside the Erindale Centre in order to assist in the problems associated with the leasing arrangements there over a period of time. I am pleased to see that erected. I will be disappointed if that shelter is not able to get the maximum use. I was pleased to see the first bus shelter after some requests from the tenants association within the Erindale Centre.
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