Page 4297 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 22 September 2010

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replace the entire fleet over time, because the Liberal Party had absolutely no regard for ensuring that there be full accessibility. We have committed to a target of 55 per cent by 2012, and we will meet it.

Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, I did not ask the Chief Minister what the target was; I asked him how much of the fleet currently does not comply. If he does not know, he is free to say so and come back and take it on notice.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, Chief Minister, Mrs Dunne has asked a very specific question. If you can focus on the answer to that.

MR STANHOPE: I have finished the answer, thank you.

MR SPEAKER: Mrs Dunne, a supplementary question?

MRS DUNNE: Minister, how much will it cost to ensure that all bus infrastructure complies with relevant disability legislation by the prescribed deadlines?

MR STANHOPE: I do not have that figure, but of course it would be, in the context of just the bus fleet alone—just in terms of buses—

Mr Hargreaves: Millions.

MR STANHOPE: Well, no. I just said I do not have it. But for the information of the member, to give her a rough ballpark figure, it would be some hundreds of millions of dollars.

MS BRESNAN: A supplementary, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Bresnan.

MS BRESNAN: Minister, given that all buses are not wheelchair accessible currently, what are you actually doing to ensure wheelchair-accessible buses turn up when they are meant to, which currently does not always occur?

MR STANHOPE: It certainly is a real issue in terms of an expansive network that covers the whole of the ACT with 3,000 services a day. Of course, ACTION tries to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that a wheelchair-accessible bus—in a fleet where at this stage well less than 50 per cent of our buses are wheelchair accessible—is available on every route on every occasion at those stops where we have indicated that we will provide one.

At this stage—and I would be more than happy to take advice on the percentage or proportion of failures to show Ms Bresnan—my advice is that it is very small. I would have thought that on such a wide-ranging network, geographically spread, providing 3,000 services a day—where we are working progressively towards just half of the fleet being wheelchair accessible—members would accept and understand the difficulty of guaranteeing or ensuring in every single instance on every single pre-agreed route for a wheelchair-accessible bus that we can deliver it.


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