Page 2684 - Week 07 - Thursday, 2 August 2018
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On Monday I heard from Narrabundah residents about how the cuts late last year severely impacted their community, and about how the changes to the new network will exasperate the community even further. My colleagues Mr Coe and Mr Milligan have been actively consulting with residents in Crace retirement village, as they are set to lose bus route 54, as well as residents in Giralang and Kaleen about the loss of services to the city.
My colleagues in Brindabella, Murrumbidgee and Ginninderra have heard from countless frustrated constituents about the cancellations of Xpresso services and how the new Rapid services threaten to lengthen the journey of hundreds of Canberrans. In fact at the inner south roadshow public transport officials themselves actually acknowledged that Rapids have never been an appropriate name for these services.
These are only a handful of examples of the many local community councils and P&C and residents associations that have been in constant discussion with the Canberra Liberals because it is very clear to them that the government does not care and will not listen.
Ms Stephen-Smith will be pleased to know that the Canberra Liberals have been referring these many concerned residents to the government’s consultation process. It is this process that is the problem. The overwhelming feedback we are receiving from residents who have participated in government consultation is that the government does not care and is not listening. The overwhelming feedback that we are receiving is that this is a half-baked attempt at consultation and these changes are already set in stone. If the government is truly taking community feedback seriously, the government will release timetables and data to allow the community to provide real feedback on the proposed new network.
Federal government—territory rights
Environment—plastic bag ban
MS CODY (Murrumbidgee) (5.29): I stand today to follow my colleagues and talk about a matter that is very dear to my heart—territory rights. We have heard over a number of years that the ACT and the Northern Territory have very different rights to the states, and this is just not fair. How is it that the people of the ACT have the right to vote for people to represent them, to represent their views in parliament, but that that same parliament cannot make certain laws for the Canberra community?
Last week the Select Committee on End of Life Choices in the ACT heard from Mr Marshall Perron, a former Chief Minister for the Northern Territory. Mr Perron spoke very passionately about his battles with the federal government on what is commonly referred to as the Andrews bill. Mr Perron said:
The Chief Ministers of both territories are the representatives of the citizens who live in those places and have every right, indeed, a responsibility to act on behalf of those citizens. Unfortunately, federal politicians it seems in many cases regard the next tier of government with some disdain, and that is shown in the federal Hansard debates.
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