Page 3140 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 20 August 2019
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opposite. It has been their mode of operation for more than a decade, and it is typified by the approach of the Leader of the Opposition.
I will spend 30 seconds highlighting this irony: the Leader of the Opposition is a man who poses in front of Audis, saying, “This would be a better way to spend public money rather than investing in public transport infrastructure.” This highlights the hypocrisy of his speech and of those opposite, who have, over more than two decades, opposed every single significant investment in public transport infrastructure and service provision in this territory.
That is their record, and that is where the Leader of the Opposition stands. He will be condemned forever by that photograph—the big arms out, with a happy smile, saying, “Audis. Audi A3s, they’re a better investment.” That stands on the public record forever. As Canberrans know, that is the position of the Liberal Party, not just this year, not just last year, not just in 2016, but in 2012, 2008, 2004 and 2001, when they consistently opposed government investment to improve public transport.
As Minister Steel has outlined in his remarks today, there are challenges with the reliability of weekend bus services. That is acknowledged. We need to do better, and the minister is focused on that task. He has short, medium and long-term plans to address those challenges. That work needs to take place. He is aware of that challenge, as is the government, and we will continue to work hard with relevant stakeholders, those who are driving the buses, and public transport consumers and advocates, to ensure that what I believe, at least on this side of the chamber, to be the desired outcome of more frequent and more reliable weekend bus services is a reality for Canberrans as soon as possible.
The challenges that are there in the short term have been discussed at length. They were the subject of a private member’s motion last week. They have been canvassed again this morning. Various solutions have been put forward, and the minister has agreed to look at all of them and has already put in place a range of actions to address the short-term challenges.
Sometimes in government you must choose between a series of least-worst outcomes. In this instance I think the minister has made the correct call, and that reliability needs to be put first in the short term. Once that reliability is secured, further services can be offered. I think that, in this instance, is the correct response.
It is not the ideal outcome, obviously. As I said on Chief Minister’s talkback a number of weeks ago, it is the last resort. In the short term, I believe it is the best way forward, with a view that it is only a short-term, interim measure. As members know, any change in the network takes time, and there must be notice, both for drivers and for consumers, and that is, in the short term, a preferential outcome.
The Leader of the Opposition spent part of his speech talking about Labor Party preselections; that gives everyone an indication of the politics and personal spite that motivate a lot of his contributions. Labor Party preselections have absolutely nothing to do with public transport provision on weekends. That contribution highlights how seriously those opposite take public transport issues.
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