Page 1756 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 15 May 2019

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(2) further notes:

(a) this is the biggest investment the ACT Government has ever made in public transport and delivers light rail and a seven day a week bus network, and includes an additional investment of almost $50 million over four years in running the new bus system, an additional $2.65 million invested in the rollout of the new network, as well as $43 million for 80 new buses added to Canberra’s bus network;

(b) since the start of the new network, we have seen a record number of boardings as well as individual journeys and MyWay cards in use; and

(c) in the first two weeks of the new public transport network, there were over one million boardings recorded on bus and light rail services in Canberra, and over 740 000 journeys which is more than 10 percent higher than over the same period in 2018; and

(3) calls on the Minister for Transport to report back to the Assembly by the last sitting week in September 2019 including:

(a) the performance of the network since commencement, including capacity of bus fleet;

(b) MyWay patronage data broken down by month and across ticket categories (including school student categories), including both the free travel period and subsequent standard-fare months;

(d) patronage data as it relates to school student travel.”.

I believe I have covered all of these points in my remarks, but before concluding I will comment on this issue of safety. I would appreciate it if those opposite would take a moment to think about what currently happens around our city with children walking to and from school and walking to and from bus stops. Are the Canberra Liberals telling Canberra families whose children currently walk to school or walk to a bus interchange and catch a public bus—and have done so for many years—that their children are somehow not safe? (Extension of time granted.)

I welcome the debate about changes and their impact on some members of our community. But I find it quite offensive to many Canberra families whose children currently catch public buses, I find it offensive to current, past and future users of all public transport services in our city, I find it offensive to Transport Canberra staff and to our bus services that the Canberra Liberals appear to be making this an issue about the safety of schoolchildren on public buses or the safety of schoolchildren walking in our community to their schools. That is simply irresponsible and reckless.

I am happy to have had conversations with a number of principals. I have also met with peak bodies. As I say, I have spoken with a number of principals and I speak to families every day about bus service changes, as members in this place do. I have done this as an elected member of the Assembly and as a member of our community. I have heard from many people who have welcomed these new changes as they are starting to get used to them. They have found them to be very welcome additions to their daily routine.

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