Page 1382 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 24 March 2010
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MR STANHOPE: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I do thank Ms Porter for her question and her continuing and abiding deep interest in the ALP-Greens agreement, an interest which all we members of the ALP share, of course.
It is pleasing, in relation to the provision of cycling infrastructure, footpaths, park-and-ride facilities and a range of other infrastructure, that the Greens share the government’s commitment to continue to enhance infrastructure in relation to these very important parts of our city. Indeed, through our discussions we find that we share a commitment to continuing to invest in these priority areas. They are priority areas that we identified very early in our term of government. Indeed, over the term of the government, we have now, I believe, actually constructed somewhere in excess of 700 kilometres of footpaths and cycle paths since coming to government, and it is true that in the Labor-Greens parliamentary agreement issues around continuing to enhance that pedestrian and cycling network were very much part of those discussions and are very much part of the agreement.
We have continued to work hard and, with the very obvious support of the Greens within this place, continued to govern in the interests of and for the future of all Canberrans.
One does need in this context to contrast our commitment, most particularly to cycling infrastructure, with that of the Liberal Party. Everybody who has been in this place for some years will remember the fierceness with which the Liberal Party opposed the retrofitting of existing roads with cycle paths. If it had been left to the Liberal Party, we would never have had on-road cycle paths built on Northbourne Avenue, or indeed all the way to Woden from Dickson. We would not have had the current roads that have been built, all the way from Stromlo Forest Park essentially back to Dunrossil Drive, and even early on in our terms—I think it was in 2003-04—a major commitment of funding to provide on-road cycle paths on Drakeford Drive.
Over and above the $10 million-plus that we have spent on retrofitting existing roads, we have now essentially instituted the practice of including or ensuring that there are cycle paths on all major roads constructed in the ACT. Through that particular process, we now have, over our three terms in government, spent, I would think, tens of millions of dollars on just that.
Indeed, in this last budget, with the support of the Greens, there is a commitment to $24 million of funding for footpaths and cycle path upgrades and cycling infrastructure—not, of course, to mention the almost $10 million that has been invested in the Mount Stromlo world-class cycling facility, a real jewel in terms of support by this government for cycling and recreation. Just over this last summer, TAMS has sealed 66 kilometres of cycle paths—66 kilometres, the most expansive and indeed the largest investment ever in infrastructure and upgrade of cycling infrastructure in the territory, with just on 66 kilometres of cycle path upgraded throughout that. And we continue a major investment—I think $2 million in this last budget—in footpaths throughout the city. It was significant that just before Christmas, reflecting of course the relationship between the Labor Party and the Greens, Ms Hunter and I were very pleased to attend the opening of the Mawson park-and-ride facility. (Time expired.)
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