Page 4205 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
would deliver this in mid-2010. This work has actually not eventuated or been done. There has been no further feasibility report, and it is now nearing the end of 2011.
My motion asks to put rail freight back on the agenda and to prioritise sustainable freight transport by developing a rail precinct in the vicinity of East Lake-Fyshwick, which includes rail freight facilities such as an intermodal freight hub. I will qualify this by saying that I will be satisfied if the government at least progresses this by first conducting the further feasibility studies it promised.
In conclusion, I commend my motion to the Assembly. It sets a proactive agenda for rail, a topic that has been overlooked for too long. These actions are needed to bring the considerable benefits of rail to the Canberra public and to deliver a sustainable, practical transport future for our city, and I would imagine and would hope this is something that all parties in the ACT will be supporting, hoping to see investment from the federal government in it.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (3.36): I move the amendment to Ms Bresnan’s motion, circulated in my name:
Omit all words after “That this Assembly”, substitute:
“notes that:
(1) the Government’s current planning for Canberra’s transport services includes a detailed examination of light rail options which, in the initial stages, is focussing on the Northbourne Avenue corridor; and
(2) the Government is working with the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors, of which the ACT is a member, on a submission to the Commonwealth Government on high speed rail options.”.
Madam Assistant Speaker, I have moved the amendment to Ms Bresnan’s motion today not because the government disagrees about the importance of looking at rail in the territory but because Ms Bresnan’s motion demonstrates once again why the Greens are simply not capable of looking at how to approach the successful implementation of government policy. With the Greens, it is all about “We want it all now. We want it all done now. In fact, we want it all done yesterday. We want it all done yesterday in a perfect way and we do not really worry about the cost. We do not really worry about how it is going to work in terms of other coordinated policies of the government. We want it all yesterday.”
What we have from Ms Bresnan is this: “Let us have rail freight, rail freight mode, yesterday. Let us have light rail spread right across the city yesterday and let us not worry about the cost. Let us not worry about how we are going to make it work. Let us not worry about all the detailed technical and planning considerations. We want it all. We want it yesterday.” The Greens once again adopt a completely unrealistic, unstrategic and unconsidered approach to the real challenges of transport in this city, all because they want to jump on the wagon, forgive the pun, of rail.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video