Page 3859 - Week 10 - Thursday, 27 August 2009
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five out of 10. We look forward to the contributions that the Liberal Party might make on this particular issue.
Mr Smyth: We’ve upset you, today, haven’t we? You can’t mislead people.
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: That is going a bit too far.
Mr Smyth: It’s been a bad week, mate. Have you got regret?
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Smyth, we heard Mr Coe in peace.
MR STANHOPE: It would have been interesting for Mr Coe to provide some explanation of why he was not prepared to set an example for fellow Canberrans in relation to this particular issue, why the Liberals in this place think that they are so special.
Labor is committed to providing excellent sustainable transport options for the people of Canberra as we plan for a cleaner, greener Canberra into the future. It is why we are excited at the recent announcement by Better Cities that it intends to use Canberra as its Australian test bed for the rollout of electric vehicles running on renewable power. That is why we are in conversation with Nissan about new-generation electric cars. That is why we are investing record amounts in public transport and it is why we are right now in the midst of a conversation with the community on a suite of policies that will deliver sustainable transport options that have never before been possible in the national capital.
The ACT government has set itself targets to increase the percentage of commuters on public transport or walking or cycling from place to place. Our goal is to increase the percentage of people walking, cycling and using public transport to get to work from 13 per cent in 2001 to 20 per cent in 2011 and 30 per cent in 2026. This will see 16 per cent of work trips made by public transport, seven per cent by cycling, and seven per cent by walking in 2026. The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate that we are well on the way to achieving these targets, which is a fantastic outcome.
Working in harness as a community, I have no doubt that we can achieve great things. Last month the government brought together more than 100 representatives of community and business groups to seek their ideas and input on the transport issues confronting Canberra and the region in the future.
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Can we have silence, Mr Hanson, Mr Smyth and Mr Coe.
MR STANHOPE: The transport roundtable was chaired by the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, Dr Maxine Cooper. I again thank Dr Cooper for facilitating such a well-attended and interesting event. Significantly, we also had at the table for that conversation our friends from across the border, in recognition that, for the purpose of sustainable transport, Canberra and Queanbeyan are a single urban
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