Page 2388 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
project. Despite all the obstacles, despite all the problems that have arisen over the last few years with regard to this project, we should still have faith, despite the fact that the patronage figures do not stack up, despite the fact that the construction program does not stack up, despite the fact that the financials do not stack up, despite the fact that it was going to be $614 million with contingency and is now $783 million and on the up, perhaps as high as $900 million if you go by what the government has said in correspondence to Chinese investors.
There are serious concerns with this project. Not the least of these is, of course, the impact during the construction period. It is all very well for the government to tout the $950 million-odd of benefits that this project is supposedly going to bring the territory but have they factored in the loss of economic activity as a result of taking away 255 car parks in the city? Have they factored in the closure of businesses because their customers cannot walk through the door because they have to park a kilometre away? Have they factored in the many detrimental impacts that will come about as a result of job losses in those businesses because they simply cannot attract customers to walk through the door? There are so many problems with this project.
At every single hurdle the government just says, “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” The truth is that neither we nor the community at large has confidence in this government to deliver this project. They have got poor form when it comes to delivering capital works projects around town. Whether it is the GDE, whether it is Tharwa bridge or numerous other projects around town, this government has a terrible track record. Now we are told to trust them—$783 million, they can deliver it on time and on budget. We simply do not buy that.
But if you look at the figures that the government touts about this project, 15,000 people they hope to attract onto light rail in 2021. On their own figures, 10 years later, it is 20,000 people. From 15,000 in 2021 to 20,000 in 2031 is an increase of just 30 per cent over the course of 10 years. Mr Rattenbury says, “Don’t worry, we need to start now so that we can have increased density.” In 10 years time it is only going to increase from 15,000 to 20,000 in a city that will have a population of nearly 500,000 at the time.
In a city of 500,000 or 450,000, in 2031 20,000 people will depend on light rail each day. That is simply because they axed the buses, simply because they axed the best bus in the network, the route 200. Someone can get one bus from Amaroo to Barton—perhaps they work at DFAT and live in Amaroo—at the moment. Under light rail, they will get a bus to Gungahlin, a tram to the city and then a bus to Barton.
It is for that reason that I firmly believe that light rail will see a decrease in the number of public transport users in Gungahlin, not an increase. At present there are many, many suburbs—in fact, every suburb but Crace—where you can get a single bus into the city, then on to Russell and then to the parliamentary triangle. Under light rail, no suburb in Gungahlin will have a bus to the city.
These are very serious issues, and it seems that the government just glosses over them. Sometimes I ponder whether the government is actually committed to light rail. I wonder whether maybe they will just drag it on until after the election and then hope they win with a majority, they can drop Mr Rattenbury and then they can say, “It’s all
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video