ACT Greens promise light rail to Woden ahead of Labor

The ACT Greens have promised to build light rail stage two (Civic to Woden) by 2030 or 2031, ahead of Labor’s proposed date of 2033, Greens transport spokeswoman Jo Clay MLA says. (Their policy is online.)

To do so, the Greens would:

• Make light rail a government priority with more ambitious deadlines, a bigger project team, and the budget funding required to get Stage 2 to Woden moving sooner.
• Switch to a rolling program of planning and construction to develop and maintain a light rail workforce, which will also provide better value for money and quicker delivery of future stages
• More frequent light rail services between Gungahlin and the city during the morning and afternoon peaks, on Friday nights, and on weekends.
• Investigate longer platforms to accommodate more carriages, in anticipation of more passengers using light rail.
• Build more dense housing along the Stage 2B route and near future light rail stops.
• Extend Stage 2 to Mawson, and plan for light rail to Belconnen, the airport, and Tuggeranong.

“The Liberals want to axe light rail, and Labor is saying 2033 is the best they can do,” Ms Clay said. “Only the Greens will push harder so today’s nine-year-olds can ride light rail to Woden before they turn 18.

“We will make sure we are planning future stages ahead of time so that we can roll out construction seamlessly. The contract to raise London Circuit was not signed until 6 years after the government decision was made. Signing the contract for Stage 2B is currently planned for 2028. There’s no planning and design work for future stages like Belconnen happening at all. Major Projects Canberra has had less staff for most of Stage 2 than it had for Stage 1 and it simply hasn’t been given enough staff to plan ahead. We need proper resourcing, genuine ambition and political commitment to roll out the whole network.”

Transport minister Chris Steel called the Greens’ plans for light rail “a fantasy, not grounded in reality”. He argued that the Greens, being part of the government, should understand the constraints: the government was beholden to Commonwealth approvals processes, which were out of their hands.

“The ACT Government Labor party lives in reality: we understand that we can deliver one stage of light rail per decade.”

Mr Steel pointed out that different trades and contractors were required for each phase of the project, making it impractical to maintain the same staff throughout.

“The idea that you can simply keep the same tradie employee throughout one project and then roll on to another is living in fantasy,” Mr Steel said. “The reality is, unless you did two projects in parallel, which we’re fiscally constrained in terms of what we can do in an infrastructure pipeline, there won’t be that continuity of trades anyway: different contractors, different subcontractors, delivering different skills, different phases of the project.”

Ryan Hemsley, chair of the Public Transport Association of Canberra, said: PTCBR was “delighted to see the ACT Greens adopt many of our association’s light rail recommendations in their election promises”.

“We especially welcome the Greens’ promise to speed up the delivery of Canberra’s light rail network. Every day without a city-wide mass transit system means worse traffic congestion, more greenhouse gas emissions, rising construction costs, and fewer travel choices for Canberrans.

“Good transport is the key to a liveable city. Let’s get on with it.”

Canberra Liberals: Cost-of-living crisis

In the ACT Legislative Assembly today, Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee will call on the ACT Government and the community sector to review the 2012 ACT Targeted Assistance Strategy to ensure that concessions keep up with changes to the cost of living.

“The 2012 ACT Targeted Assistance Strategy is now over a decade old, and over that period, economic conditions in the ACT have significantly changed,” Ms Lee said.

Ms Lee alleges that the cost-of-living crisis has worsened under Chief Minister Andrew Barr, as shown by last week’s publication of ACTCOSS’s Cost of Living Report.

The report shows that high inflation and high interest rates mean low-income households cannot pay for housing, food, and other essential goods and services, and that the prices of many essential goods and services have risen more than 20 per cent above the cost of inflation. The community sector struggles to meet demand.

Ms Lee maintains that Mr Barr has “imposed even more pain on Canberrans” by increasing rates, fees, and utility charges.

The Canberra Liberals have announced a $65 million cost-of-living relief package, a fair and transparent rates system, and to abolish the GP payroll tax.

Adolescent mental health service relocated

Several services at the North Canberra Hospital campus will be relocated to make way for demolition works for a new northside hospital. 

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) the ‘Cottage’ program will move to a new facility in Lyons, which will be completed in 2026, health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said. 

The Cottage is a day program for young people with mental issues that limit their attendance at school. The program helps them return to school or vocational programs. Emma Davidson, minister for mental health, said the new site will be more accessible and more appropriate than a hospital campus.

Billard Leece Partnership Pty Ltd has been appointed as the tenderer and design partner for the new facility.

The relocation of the Cottage is part of $27.5 million northside hospital enabling works.

Nominations open for Canberra Sport Awards

Nominations are now open for the CBR Sport Awards 2024 to acknowledge and celebrate exceptional local athletes, teams, coaches, volunteers, and sporting groups.

Canberra’s peak sporting organisations and local sporting clubs are invited to nominate high achievers in community sport and at the elite level.

The CBR Sport Award categories are:

• Athlete of the Year – women’s sport
• Athlete of the Year – men’s sport
• Athlete of the Year – para sport
• Team of the Year
• Rising Star
• Outstanding Service to Sport
• ACT Sport Hall of Fame
• ACT Sport Hall of Fame – Associate Member
• Minister for Sport and Recreation’s Award for Inclusion
• Minister for Sport and Recreation’s Award for Innovation
• Minister for Sport and Recreation’s Award for Event Excellence

Nominations for all awards close on 8 October. The CBR Sport Awards will be held later in the year.

Committee reports

ACT Legislative Assembly committees have released reports on Raising Children and on Loneliness and Isolation in the ACT.

“The ACT has the lowest fertility rate of any Australian state or territory,” Jo Clay, chair of the Standing Committee on Health and Community Wellbeing, said.

“The committee heard that the key factors affecting ACT residents’ decisions around raising children include the cost of living — particularly the cost and accessibility of housing, childcare and health care — environmental concerns, and the availability of family and community support.

“Throughout the inquiry, the committee was told that a variety of policy solutions are needed to respond to these complex issues. The committee’s recommendations include a range of practical actions to support prospective parents, current parents, and children in the ACT.”

Michael Pettersson MLA, Chair of the Standing Committee on Education and Community Inclusion, said that loneliness and social isolation are complex issues that affect many in the ACT.

“The committee heard throughout the inquiry that social connection is essential for health and wellbeing,” Mr Pettersson said.

“The committee was told that cost, lack of transport, and a lack of accessible spaces to socialise all present barriers to social connection, and that these barriers impact vulnerable Canberrans in particular.

“It is important that government prioritise social connection by destigmatising loneliness, providing support to those experiencing it through initiatives such as social prescribing, and working across government to reduce barriers to social connection.”