Page 3883 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 4 December 2007
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However, the honest truth of this would seem to be that we are robbing Peter to pay Paul. It appears that a number of bus users, particularly in the Tuggeranong area, have been further disadvantaged by route changes. The token consultation process was just that: a token attempt at consulting—something that this government fails to do time and time and time again. Those attending the consultation sessions, as it turns out, did not seem to hold much faith that anything would be done about their concerns or complaints. It would appear that the great bulk of timetable changes are simply a reversion to the pre-2006 timetable session.
The opposition is saying well done on a couple of quite creative route initiatives; however, the bulk of the timetable changes—which are now going to cost something like $5.5 million to implement—are simply this government reverting to a standard that existed pre the government rationalisation of 2006. The government are now appropriating money to go back and reverse the errors—the damage—they did a year and a half ago and a year ago. This is a reversible errors program. That should be acknowledged; the government should be truthful about this.
I turn to the road safety action plan. The minister laments that the government has been accused of implementing revenue raiser fixed cameras. The government should be lamenting that: that is what the government have done. Their fixed camera strategy is simply that: a revenue raising plan. I have yet to see the minister announce—I am happy to stand up here and withdraw my concern when he does—that he is going to redeploy one of those cameras to the Long Gully Road accident zone, a well-known accident zone where three people have been killed in the last 18 months. That is where these fixed cameras ought to be.
There are many black spot areas across the ACT where we know we need to quickly slow drivers down because those zones are dangerous. But that is not where these fixed cameras have been located. When cameras are at the bottom of the long hill on the Monaro Highway and on a similarly long hill on the Barton Highway, you have to have a strong suspicion—particularly when those are areas not known for high accident and death rates—that the government has put those cameras in there to raise revenue. The opposition is deeply suspicious about that, and we will continue to encourage the government to redeploy cameras. We have no problem with the camera strategy, but these cameras must be located where they are of best use—saving lives, not raising revenue.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo) (4.42): I want to say a few words about a couple of aspects of the second appropriation, but before I get into the subject matter it does need to be said that we are seeing the government with this extra money not because of any fantastic economic management; it is, of course, because they have simply gouged the people of the ACT, whether it is through new taxes or whether it is through increased rates; we have seen them gouge first home buyers; we have seen them ride on the back of one of the greatest property booms that has every been seen in the territory. This is a result of those things. They are swimming in extra cash as a result and are deeming it acceptable to start spending a little bit more as a result.
It was only last year that we saw the Treasurer deliver a devastating budget based on the assumption that we were in dire economic circumstances and dire budgetary
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