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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (12 November) . . Page.. 4043 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

Unlike what Mr Osborne said, Graham does not say we should contract out the bus services. Graham says that ACTION needs to get its act together to reduce the cost of providing the school bus services, so that we can provide them on a more cost-effective basis. Of course, Mr Osborne has not read the report; so he would not know. As usual, Mr Osborne is wrong.

I could go through a lot of the other factual errors in Mr Osborne's remarks, but let me point to just a couple of others. One, restructuring management does not necessarily mean sacking people, Mr Osborne. Two, the Labor Party have never been afraid to sit down with the Transport Workers Union and talk about reforms in ACTION buses. In fact, Mr Osborne - - -

Mrs Carnell: Mr Berry was. Mr Berry would not let them go ahead with the reforms they wanted to go ahead with.

MR WHITECROSS: Are you going to call the Chief Minister to order, Mr Speaker?

MR SPEAKER: Yes. Order, Chief Minister!

MR WHITECROSS: Thank you, Mr Speaker. The fact is that the Transport Workers Union and the Labor Party have a good record of working together to improve public transport, because we have a common objective. That common objective is having a good public transport system. The fact is that this Government - the Government you voted for, Mr Osborne - have never been able to work with the Transport Workers Union. Instead, they had a long, costly dispute - it cost the community $5m - and at the end of it what workplace reforms did they get? None. It cost the community $5m and there were no workplace reforms. The Labor Party does not mind working with the unions; we never have. Poor old Mr Osborne had five minutes of glory in making a few jokes, but the fact is that he was wrong. I am happy to have his praise, but I would rather have it on a factual basis. Unfortunately, Mr Osborne's speech was not factual.

In relation to fare structures, let me just say - Mr Osborne might not have noticed - that if you catch a bus from Tuggeranong to the city it does cost you more than it would if you lived in Ainslie. It costs more now, Mr Osborne. I do not think it is a remarkable thing that if we change to a new fare structure it might still cost more. But, Mr Osborne, if we can come up with another fare system which is even better, I would be happy to talk to you about it.

The poor old Minister, in his response, had a lot to say about all the things that they had done to implement the Graham report.

Mr Osborne: What about the closure of Tuggeranong interchange?

Mr Hird: Who was in government when the TWU picketed the Assembly?

MR SPEAKER: Order!

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