Just what do the Liberals think about light rail?

Maiy Azize said :

The ACT Greens/Labor Parliamentary agreement delivered nearly 100 Greens-proposed initiatives by the end 2009. To name the ones that have been delivered in the last couple of months …

Just turning up does not allow a Party to take credit for everything it happens to agree with. Some of these things were happening anyway, and Labor would have done them with or without the Greens (or already was doing them).

Do the Greens really think they deserve the credit for hundreds of millions of dollars in capital works given Stanhope’s penchant for spending on such things? Do you really think Labor wouldn’t have done a riparian management plan for the Molonglo, given all the other management plans for other areas in the ACT? Do the Greens really take credit for water saving, given that WSUD has come into fashion across Australia, largely in response to water scarcity (or do the Greens claim credit for that too?), and that WSUD has been in the draft revised Territory Plan from around 2005 onwards (and perhaps before)?

As for ‘re-opening the Kingston Library’ – how can you re-open something that didn’t previously exist? A real measure of power and effectiveness would have been the re-opening of the much-loved and well-used Griffith Library.

All that said, I’ll give the Greens the buses and climate change targets, noting that a poor-cousin climate change plan of sorts was in preparation well before the 2008 ACT election.

bd84 said :

They have done nothing for holding the government accountable here, how would it be any different at federal level?

Yet to see any real evidence of the Greens keeping the government accountable – but you need the Democrats for that. The Greens are there to progress their policies, and they are very open about that.

But Damian, your blog site has NOT been updated for almost a year?

@GunnaAl, Water-ducks-back

After reading the craziness they offer, I now will make place Pinkos last, with Labour 1st and Not So Liberals, somewhere leaning to the right.

All the major parties in the ACT are now in favour of light rail. A light rail backbone linking the major employment, education and population centres would bring tremendous benefits to the ACT. This is acknowledged in the ACT Governments own findings. The major impediment is, as has been identified already – cost.

This is where real leadership on this issue could be shown, and will be the subject of an article on my blog early next month.

Ironically, the Greens were the last party to support light rail. Getting political parties to support light rail has been a long and hard task.

People should understand that its not an either/or issue. Light rail and ACTION buses should coexist in a truly integrated network. Light rail acting as the high speed backbone, and park and ride/bus stops offering local connection.

ACT Light Rail continue to lobby for light rail and better public transport options in the ACT. We have made several submissions to various bodies/committees this year regarding public transport and light rail. We hold public meetings on the first Thursday of all months except December and January.

We are also in the process of printing up pro light rail for the ACT bumper stickers which should be available at our stand at the EV Festival.

Damien Haas

Chair, ACT Light Rail

Well Pandy, I think that is a case of (to quote Sheldon Cooper): Bazinga.

And in 2008 the Greens kept on talking about buses being better than light rail.

I do believe Pandy just got pwned.

bigred: I’ve heard that argument before, and it still doesn’t make any sense. The TWU might drive buses, but they also drive trams. The CFMEU build roads, but they also build tram tracks.

Pandy said :

Maiy Azize, please provide us with the papers that show where *your* party put these initiatives to the Labor Party as part of a negotiation tool before it was announced by the Govmnt.

Or is it a case of vigorously nods head in agreement thinking “Gosh, wish we thought of that”?

Happy to.

– Click here to read Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s amendment to the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Child Care Budget Measures) Bill 2010, in which she moved an amendment which secured a fortnightly child care rebate payment

– Click here to read Senator Bob Brown’s high speed rail feasibility proposal to the Senate, put forward on 12 May 2010, and click here to see the media release from Minister Albanese announcing the initiative on 5 August 2010.

– Click here to read Julia Gillard’s letter in which she accepted the Greens’ proposals for flexible work hours (as well as pay equity, employment law services and modern award review proposals put forward by the Greens)

– Click here to the Greens’ original proposals on the stimulus package and click here to read what the Greens were ultimately able to secure. This included the green jobs, the jobs creation package, heritage infrastructure investment, a social housing package and a $30 a week pension increase. The page also includes links to information about how these were negotiated as part of the stimulus package under each sub-heading and links to speeches from the respective Greens Senators about the various Greens’ proposals and negotiations

– Click here to read about the $50 million preventative health package negotiated by the Greens and Senator Xenaphon

– Click here to read the Greens’ policy programme in the ALP/Greens Parliamentary Agreement

Maiy Azize, please provide us with the papers that show where *your* party put these initiatives to the Labor Party as part of a negotiation tool before it was announced by the Govmnt.

Or is it a case of vigorously nods head in agreement thinking “Gosh, wish we thought of that”?

what’s the lightrail for? canberra is such a small place. this idea makes me laugh! better spend the money to more meaningful and sensible project….

bd84 said :

Name a major policy that the Greens put up at the ACT election that has been implemented, other than the few token compromises.

The ACT Greens/Labor Parliamentary agreement delivered nearly 100 Greens-proposed initiatives by the end 2009. To name the ones that have been delivered in the last couple of months:
– The Green Economy for the ACT project
– The Government’s carbon neutrality by 2060 target (the Government is also negotiating medium-term targets with the Greens)
– The REDEX Gungahlin and south Canberra buses
– The Small and Micro Business reforms
– The new energy policy
– The Mental Health Services Plan
– The Southlands Park and Ride facility was completed
– The Erindale Park and Ride facility was completed
– The Kingston Library reopening
– The provisions to address Inner North congestion
– The $394 million capital works program
– The initiative to require a minimum 6 star energy efficiency rating for new single residential housing
– The sustainability strategy for the new suburbs of Wright and Coomb
– Requiring water saving measures for new homes such as rainwater tanks or grey-water recycling
– Maximum solar access requirements
– The development of a Riparian Management Strategy for the Molonglo River corridor

bd84 said :

They have done nothing for holding the government accountable here, how would it be any different at federal level?

Well, just in the last three year term:

– A high speed rail link between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney feasibility study (the second stage will commence once the study has been completed)
– Fortnightly childcare rebate payments
– A flexible work package for carers and parents of children with disabilities
– $30 a week pension increase
– A $1.5 billion social housing package (which included 641 housing projects in the ACT to the value of $96,048,730)
– $50 million for public healthcare
– $60 million for heritage projects (which included the refurbishment of the Eddison Park Youth Recreation Facility and the refurbishment of Glebe Park)
– $40 million for community infrastructure (which included the upgrade of Canberra’s bike paths)
– A $200 million job fund
– $10 million for new jobs in the Lower Murray

I noticed that last week on Q and A, Julia Gillard cited the pension increase, the childcare rebate payments and the flexible work changes as Labor Government reforms without mentioning that it was the Greens who proposed and negotiated them. I also noticed that Jenny Macklin was spruiking the community infrastructure and social housing initiatives on the campaign trail today without mentioning that the Greens forced the Government to make those investments as part of the stimulus package. My only complaint is that the lack of ownership over the achievements.