Page 1850 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 8 June 2016
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On that note, as I said, I will be supporting the amendment proposed by Ms Fitzharris and for the consultation with traders and stakeholders to continue.
MRS JONES (Molonglo) (4.03): I am pleased to stand today alongside Mr Wall to support this motion about the issue of increasing paid parking in the Phillip business district. This government has developed a rather arrogant view of people’s back pockets and, strangely enough for a Labor government, does not seem to be too concerned about low income workers. I recall Mr Barr laughing off the increased cost of paid parking in Civic after hours and saying that it was less than the cost of sparkling water in an expensive city restaurant. Mr Barr continually shows that he is completely out of touch with average families and businesses around this city.
In another grab for money, we now have this proposal to roll out further paid parking in the Phillip business precinct. I am not sure if the minister understands that the business owners of Phillip would not have flown into a complete panic over this if the government had not actually put out a proposal that they were about to do it. There were surveyors, according to business owners, checking out where parking machines were going to be placed. Maybe they have misunderstood but it shows something about the relationship with government that they are in a spin about this.
I have spoken to many local businesses who are quite distressed about how this will impact their businesses and their employees, as well as their customers. This is not an area where there are wealthy businesses. There are little organisations working out of Phillip and part of the reason that they are there is that it is an older area with lower costs.
The owners of a small takeaway told me that they already work 50-something hours a week and paid parking might ruin their business. The owners at Neurospace, who work with aged care and rehab patients, were really worried about how their patients would be able to park and get to the shop and pay additional costs when they are already on low, fixed incomes. Another woman, who runs a sewing and craft business, said she is really worried about the capacity of her organisation to go on when people often come to her craft class and then go and have a coffee locally and that that would not happen anymore. Most of the local business owners and employees told me that the proposed $45 a week was simply unaffordable and they were all concerned that they would lose business as a result of paid parking.
I spoke to a woman at Colleen’s, a post-mastectomy clinic, who told me how concerned she is that the people who come to her post-mastectomy service to buy bras and things to look like they have not had a mastectomy will not actually be able to get there on the bus because they feel too unwell already. They have been through a huge trauma. One of the reasons she put herself in Phillip was that it was central and less expensive and less stressful for them physically to get to her service. So women who are just surviving after serious trauma are often distressed trying on breast prostheses or mastectomy bras and they often need a good chat, a shoulder to lean on. The idea that these women will be under additional pressure or worrying about a fine is a concern to this business owner.
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