Page 2218 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
It is interesting that Ms Gallagher should try to interject, “What are you doing?” Isn’t it just amazing? It is amazing that we have the Chief Minister here, who is the Treasurer for a few more days as well. She is obviously not getting very far with her federal Labor colleagues, but then again many federal Labor colleagues are also not getting on well with their federal Labor colleagues. However, here we have the Chief Minister, in effect, putting a plea out to the opposition to help her lobby, because in spite of going for a powwow with Ms Gillard last week, she still cannot get the major road investment that this government keeps harping on about.
It really does make you question just how determined, just how committed they actually are to this project. That is why I do object and have that concern with Dr Bourke’s motion where he refers to “support the government’s continuing commitment and determination”. To be honest, I think if they really were committed and they really were determined, perhaps we would already have the money that we need to have this road under construction.
The people of Gungahlin have been dealt a pretty bad hand when it comes to infrastructure. We all know the ongoing saga of the Gungahlin Drive extension. It is worth noting that even though the Labor Party stuffed up just about every stage of the construction, planning and management of that road, they did, by and large, at least want it to be built. However, that is in contrast with the four members at the other end of the chamber. Of course, in their continued ideological objection to the construction of roads, their leader herself said on 24 March 2010: “I think that is probably a straightforward one for the Greens. We didn’t believe that was the right road to build in the first place.” That was Meredith Hunter’s comment in regard to the Gungahlin Drive extension.
It is interesting that Ms Bresnan’s motion also talks about capital works funding in the ACT transport budget overwhelmingly favouring the building and upgrading of roads over public transport. When you have got a public transport system—namely, buses—which uses roads, surely you could say that by investing in roads, you are actually also providing bus infrastructure. Surely you could make that case. However, here we have the Greens saying otherwise.
What sort of capital works can you have when you are running a bus company? What are the capital works you could do? I guess you could build a depot. You could build a refuelling plant and you could probably build roads for the buses to travel on, because that is what capital works are. When you have got the public transport system that we have, a single modal system which uses buses, pretty much the only capital works you can do for a bus system is to build more roads. Whether they are bus lanes only or whether they are roads that cars drive on as well, the fact is that they are still roads. Any investment in roads which buses can or will travel on can in part be attributed to infrastructure spending or capital works spending for a bus network.
It seems to me that the Greens are trying to pivot this so it is an issue of Majura parkway or light rail. It is as simple as that, according to the Greens. It is not as simple as that in reality. The fact is that there are thousands of hours of lost productivity and damage to people’s quality of life every single day because of roads such as Majura parkway and also the Gungahlin Drive extension.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video