Page 2223 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 9 May 2012

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Minister. At that point Mr Smyth was up to probably eight or 10 interjections and the Chief Minister was up to about two. What I am trying to explain to you is that most members get some latitude—we are not going to sit here and have question time in absolute silence—but there is some cut-off point. I simply ask members, and I do not expect to have to ask it repeatedly. Let us move on.

Mr Coe: Point of order, Mr Speaker. It is a new point of order.

MR SPEAKER: It had better be, Mr Coe.

Mr Coe: Will you please request that ministers address their response through you, thus not trying to provoke the opposition into more interjections?

MR SPEAKER: Thank you for the feedback, Mr Coe. Ms Le Couteur, you have the floor.

MS LE COUTEUR: My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development and relates to today’s announcement by the Prime Minister that the federal government will be providing $500,000 to the ACT government to produce a master plan, “Realising the capital in the city”. The media release mentions looking into the “feasibility of introducing a rapid transit system down Northbourne Avenue”. Doesn’t this mean that any decision on Northbourne Avenue will have to wait until this process is complete?

MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Le Couteur for the question. The short answer is no. The reason for that is that, first of all, the government is delighted to have received the commonwealth’s endorsement of half a million dollars from their liveable cities program to help the finalisation of a single coherent document bringing together all the other planning pieces of work that have occurred across the central city area to give greater guidance and greater clarity for the community about what the planning framework is for the city centre. There is a range of pieces of work that have occurred over the last couple of years. Work in the directorate of my colleague Mr Barr, work in the planning directorate and so on are all being brought together into a single document. The liveable cities grant will assist us to do that.

The government has committed—through the work it is currently doing in a range of studies, including the Northbourne Avenue transit corridor study—to supplement the funding from the liveable cities grant. We are making contributions in kind through the work already undertaken. Together, that is, combined, $1 million worth of work.

But, no, decisions on Northbourne Avenue transport corridor are not contingent on the completion of the liveable cities funding. Decisions on the Northbourne Avenue transport corridor will be determined by the studies which the government has already announced and which are underway.

MR SPEAKER: Ms Le Couteur, a supplementary.

MS LE COUTEUR: How will this relate to the previous planning in the area, in particular the Griffin legacy project and the Canberra city area action plan 2010-16?


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