Page 1655 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2016

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Canberra Times, has been quite positive about those discussions. That is the spirit that I am seeking to capture in this discussion: that there are people out there who want to have these conversations, who are open to working together. I trust that that is the sort of spirit that, if this project goes forward under the unsolicited bid process, we can embrace. Certainly in a master planning process, that opportunity arises as well.

I welcome the comments from the Chief Minister, and reinforce them, about the importance of sites like the Manuka pool. It has been very clear from community feedback how passionate Canberrans are about that site: how much it is a part of our heritage; how much people have grown up there; and how much they value it.

I also want to acknowledge the Chief Minister’s comments about the fact there is no decision yet. That is something that, in my discussions with the community, there has been a bit of lack of clarity about. It is something I have tried to explain to people, but the purpose in bringing this matter forward today is also to provide some clarity to the community—and the Assembly will now agree to this—that if the process does proceed, there are a range of points at which the community will have an opportunity to engage.

I thank the Labor Party for the support of this motion. I am not clear where the Liberal Party stand on it, because they only moved their own amendment. Mr Doszpot did not speak, which I anticipated he would, so I am a little unclear. Nonetheless, this will get up and I think it will provide a useful mechanism for the community to continue with discussions. I will be following it very closely myself, and I look forward to seeing those details play out over time.

Motion agreed to.

Public Accounts—Standing Committee

Report 25

MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (5.15): I present the following report:

Public Accounts—Standing Committee—Report 25—Review of Auditor-General’s Report No. 9 of 2015: Public Transport: The Frequent Network, dated 21 April 2016, together with a copy of the extracts of the relevant minutes of proceedings.

I move:

That the report be noted.

Report No 9 of 2015 by the Auditor-General was a review of public transport—the frequent network. In that report the auditor came up with seven recommendations, looking at strengthening governance and administration, how the transport for Canberra monitoring and reporting framework was working, household travel surveys, a periodic performance review of the frequent network, embedding transport corridors in urban planning documents, addressing ACTION’s operational risks, and a cost-benefit analysis of the frequent network. Of those, four of the recommendations were listed as high priority.


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