Page 2087 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 June 2015
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What we see in that range of parliamentary agreement items is that, in partnership with the Labor Party, this government is delivering both on the big picture and on the day-to-day services that our community looks for. These are issues that the Greens have raised consistently over a number of years, and we can now really paint a picture that shows solid progress in key areas that really matter to the Greens and to the Canberra community as a whole.
There are many other things that I would like to outline in this year’s budget. The budget includes a record spend on health of $1.5 billion and $1.1 billion on education. It has also allocated a $375 million down payment on light rail once the project is up and running in 2019. I will go into the detail of those that are in my ministerial portfolios in the detail stage of this debate in August. However, today I would like to highlight particular initiatives across the budget more broadly.
I will start firstly with transport reform and light rail. While the budget funds several parliamentary agreement items directly, it is fair to say that the budget also has a deeper shade of green that would not otherwise be present without the work of the Greens members of this Assembly over many years. The shift towards sustainable transport is one example. While light rail might get the headlines, as well as the goat of our opposition friends, it is not the only transport reform in this budget by a long way. In fact, this budget supports the new transport reform portfolio, and I am very pleased to be the minister assisting the Chief Minister with $2.3 million for a variety of transport reform initiatives.
As I said when I made a ministerial statement on transport reform to the Assembly, this new portfolio is intended to address challenges and embrace opportunities that are on the horizon. It recognises that sustainable transport is integral to how our city grows and develops into the future. There are some excellent transport initiatives, ones I am very happy to support and, indeed, have advocated for. As I said, a $23 million spend on active travel—walking and cycling—is a very positive sign. I see it as another milestone in the slow reversal of business-as-usual transport spending, which has disproportionately focused on car travel for many years. It includes the early stages of a cycle highway to Molonglo, an initiative championed by my party and which will help ensure new areas of Canberra have quality active travel facilities right from the start.
As I have said so many times before, sustainable transport is this city’s future. As part of transport reform the budget will fund a whole-of-government peak oil strategy to ensure we are prepared and resilient for future challenges presented by our current reliance on a finite and fragile energy source, a smart and forward-thinking strategy that I strongly endorse.
When it comes to housing, I am very proud of the work the Greens have done on public housing over many years, and I am pleased this budget includes a strong commitment to public housing renewal of $133 million over four years. In line with an outcome passed by cabinet, this commitment includes responding to the needs and preferences of tenants along the proposed Northbourne Avenue redevelopment sites by providing accommodation within the 800-metre corridor, including Flemington
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