Transcript - media conference, Canberra

ANDREW BARR [ACT CHIEF MINISTER]: … Local member for Kurrajong, Rachel Stephen-Smith; Minister for City Services, Tara Cheyne, for this important announcement around the Garden City Cycleway. This is a project which was jointly funded between the federal and ACT Governments. It was a commitment made by federal Labor in the 2022 election. We provided matched funding at a territory level. So, a $10 million project delivered in multiple stages given some of the complexity through the inner north. But a project that I think will be very well utilised, will support active travel in the inner north, which all parts of Canberra is - the community that is the greatest utiliser of our active travel infrastructure. There are 50,000 jobs in our CBD, and 50,000 people who live in the inner north who want more active travel infrastructure that supports people to make the journey to work in an active way. The inner north embraces this, so it was a really important project. But we’re delighted to partner with the federal government to deliver that.

I’ll invite Minister King to say a few words, and then Minister Cheyne will also speak, and then we’re happy to take questions. Thank you.

CATHERINE KING [MINISTER]: Thanks- thanks very much, Chief Minister. Thanks Andrew. It’s lovely to be here with my colleague Alicia Payne, the Member for Canberra, and also Rachel and Tara. Thank you very much for being here as well.

Well, this very much is part of what the Albanese Labor Government wants to see in our major cities. We want to see significantly more active transport. The partnership for this project, the Garden City Cycleway, $5 million from the Commonwealth, $5 million from the ACT Government, to really connect us and the cycleways here, and get people have a mode shift from cars to cycling, or just scooting as is a popular activity here in Canberra as well, or walking and being able to make sure that those connections from public transport to home to work are all linked up. It's also part of the decision that we made in the last budget to allocate $100 million for active transport projects right the way across the country, and the guidelines for that program are under development at the moment, because we do know that people are wanting to cycle, they are wanting to run, they are wanting to walk in the communities that they live in. And we're wanting to be able to get better ways to get into work. So this morning's announcement is really the start of what we would like to see across the country, particularly in our capital and our regional cities, connecting people from home to work to social activities via active transport. Delighted to be partnering with the ACT Government on what is a terrific project and one I know that they'll be very proud of. I might hand over to Tara.

TARA CHEYNE [ACT MINISTER FOR CITY SERVICES]: Thank you Minister King, thank you Chief Minister, and it’s terrific to be here with Alicia and Rachel as well. This is a project that is a key focus of our active travel plan. And it really does [indistinct] several suburbs of our inner north, where we already know- you can see right around us at the moment that there are people running or people walking. There are people driving, but we want to see more people cycling as well. So this cycleway will allow for that multi-modal shift. As you can see behind us, we have a very narrow footpath, and that creates a conflict of use, where pedestrians might be moving a little bit slower than some people who are cycling. And so widening that path is going to be critical to really opening it up as a viable option for people to move through the inner north.

This is a segment on this side of the inner north that mirrors Sullivans Creek path which is a very popular cycle path on the other side of Northbourne. I just drove through there from Belconnen to here this morning and saw the number of cyclists who were crossing the road there at that signalised crossing. And of course we've got the counter there as well that shows just how popular it is. And already dozens of people have been through there on this rather cold morning, but I think it does show the popularity of these routes that are still going through major areas of our city, major employment hubs, including places like Braddon, Watson, Dickson, while also creating some separation from some of the busier routes that we have, like Northbourne Avenue. This is something for me that I think is quite akin to what we see in places like Amsterdam, where there is that gentle movement of cyclists as well as pedestrians, but also that necessary suburban separation from some of the major thoroughfares where there might be more cars or trucks for example.

So, this is a terrific project. It's one we're very proud to be working in partnership with the federal government on. This is stage one, it is being done in chunks of different contracts. This is about minimising disruption. It means that we can open stages as we complete them earlier. And it also means that there's more opportunities for more contractors to get involved with the city building project. It is a very significant project for us in the ACT. It's the centrepiece of our active travel plan. And I think it will demonstrate what more we can do across our city, and it's exciting to see it get underway today. Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible question]

ANDREW BARR: Well, we do long term infrastructure planning in the territory, outlining in recent updates to the territory’s infrastructure plan, projects that extend well into the next decade. We need to obviously deliver those progressively. You can't deliver every single infrastructure project that you identify at once. This project we outlined in our election and [indistinct] the federal election that we would seek to deliver and start construction in this term of government. That's exactly what we're doing. It is a complex project. There are a number of different stages, a number of different areas of the inner north where the route alignment needed to be carefully planned. And the level of detail necessary in the preliminary sketch plan was such that we needed to consult, we needed to ensure that the project would achieve the outcomes that we're seeking from. So that takes time. We- so we have construction underway already. We’ve got a number of other stages out to tender, so the project is well underway and we can look forward to its completion in stages over the coming months.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] you’re hoping that this will provide an alternative to cyclists on Northbourne Avenue?

ANDREW BARR: Well it’s certainly one of the outcomes of the project. Both east and west of that major road will be an active travel option. So for people in Hackett, Ainslie, Dickson and in Braddon, there is a way to get into the CBD without having to go through the Northbourne corridor across Northbourne. And then equally there are options for cyclists who don’t want to use the on-road,  a cycling option is available.

JOURNALIST: So are there plans to make Northbourne Ave safer?

ANDREW BARR: To make it safer?

JOURNALIST: Safer – a separated cycleway like …

ANDREW BARR: But I think that’s a discussion that I know has been ongoing in the city for some time. The priority is this project. Off-road cycling lanes are safer, there’s no doubt.

JOURNALIST: In terms of, I guess the active trouble with infrastructure [indistinct] across the ACT, do you understand [indistinct] pressures [indistinct] really in capacity? Or is the ACT travelling quite well?

ANDREW BARR: Well, look, utilisation of active travel infrastructure in the inner north is the highest of all parts of Canberra. And given the amount of employment that is located in the CBD, Braddon and Dickson, it’s logical that that is the case. If you’re able to access those employment centres, together with all of the entertainment and other facilities that a CBD offers, then you can do so on foot, cycling or using a scooter. That’s fairly preferable to having our CBD choked with cars. So the more we can invest sensibly in enabling infrastructure like this, the more we can meet huge population growth, and we can ensure our city is less congested than it would otherwise be. You can see around us right now, there are still a lot of cars coming into our CBD. So that’s why we have had a focus on public transport infrastructure and why we focus on active travel infrastructure.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] …

ANDREW BARR: Well, there certainly is a density plan as part of the existing government land release, including large scale build-to-rent projects with an affordable housing and key worker housing component. So I think it is important that we align our transport infrastructure with our housing infrastructure developments, and there are a number of them in the Northbourne corridor and here in the inner north. And again, it makes sense because there are so many jobs. They’re going to have two group of eight universities, they’re quartered either side of our CBD – the ANU on the west and UNSW Canberra on the east – so this is going to be an area that is going to grow. It’s going to have a lot of young people, and I think it’s important that we’re investing in this sort of active travel infrastructure.

JOURNALIST: Minister King- I have a question for Minister King …

JOURNALIST: Okay, sure. Just very quickly, Chief Minister, Anthony Albanese [indistinct] a vocal group [indistinct]. Has the government felt under pressure that [indistinct]?

ANDREW BARR: Pedal Power exists to advocate for active travel infrastructure for cyclists, so they’re just doing their job. The role of government, of course, is to look at the provision of infrastructure across the totality of a community. We recognise the need to invest in active travel infrastructure. We recognise the need to invest in public transport infrastructure. What I’m delighted about today is that we have a federal government that’s working with us to deliver this sort of infrastructure. This is a project that both ACT Labor and the federal Labor are working together on. I think it demonstrates the capacity to achieve really good outcomes for our community when you have both levels of government in the territory pulling in the same direction, trying to achieve the same sorts of positive outcomes for the community. It’s a far cry from what we used to experience under a federal Liberal government when the priority was just road infrastructure and very little else. What we’ve seen from federal Labor is support for active travel, support for public transport infrastructure, and support for road infrastructure, and I think that demonstrates that Labor is the only party in this territory election prepared to invest in all forms of transport infrastructure to support our growing city.

JOURNALIST: Quick light rail question. There was call for Stage 2B to be progressively rolled out as it [indistinct]. Is that possible? Is that a …

ANDREW BARR: Yeah, I think that is. That’s one of the rationale for delivering Stage 2A in the way that we have. So I certainly welcome that particular call from the Public Transport CBR. We’ll look at that. We’re at a point obviously where we’re just examining both our EPBC, heritage and other elements in the project. But the procurement comes in the next territory- next term of the territory parliament. But again, I can be very clear that there’s only going to be further extensions to light rail if the government is re-elected. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: Just- the CFMEU, they’ve [indistinct] indicated they’re not going to go down without a fight. Are you concerned that there will be disruptions to major infrastructure projects around the country? And just- you’re responsible for the federal money that flows into these projects. What steps will you be taking to ensure that that federal money isn’t flowing into projects and then into the criminal groups that we’ve been reporting on lately?

CATHERINE KING: Thanks for- there’s quite a few questions in that. And the first thing is that projects where the Commonwealth has a direct - and government business enterprises have a direct - role, on Western Sydney International airport,  Inland Rail, for example,  I’ve asked my department to work through to see if there’s any issues that need to be made aware of in any of those projects in relation to the matters that you’ve raised. 

We are a co-investment partner with states and territories. States, obviously, are doing the tendering and working directly as the contract agency. I understand the state of Victoria, they’re undertaking a look at the Big Build projects, obviously, also at the level of the Fair Work Commission, also looking at the EBAs on the field as well. 

We want people in the infrastructure industry to earn good wages, to be safe at work. But the sorts of allegations we’ve seen in more recent days about the CFMEU are frankly something that we are all disgusted by. And the CMFEU needs to understand that it operates in a system where people expect that every single dollar of taxpayer money is spent properly. And so as we work our way through, we’ve obviously got administrators called into the CFMEU as we work our way through that will be certainly be [indistinct].

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] a bit more rather into what you’ve asked your department to do in terms of [indistinct] …

CATHERINE KING: So I've just asked them to give me an assurance that through the contracting work we've done, obviously through our GBEs,  that there's no issues in terms of EBAs or any of the issues that have been there. So I've just asked them to assure me of that.

JOURNALIST: Just one more on the Suburban Rail Loop. We saw last week the Victorian Government has not taken any steps in two years to provide information to Infrastructure Australia to progress that project. The first tranche of money was supposed to go out this financial year, it's been pushed back. Is that delay in funding because of Victoria not giving the information necessary? And will you also would allow that you would make an election [indistinct] to give more money to the SRL outside of the usual funding processes?

CATHERINE KING: Well, the first thing is, you know, the Suburban Rail Link is an important transformational project for Victoria. If you look at- and I said this previously, if you look at Metronet in Western Australia, it's the same sort of project to rebuild the way in which cities work and being able to bring housing and other commercial activity into where your rail precincts are. So it's an important project for Victoria.

We have obviously made a commitment of $2.2 billion to Suburban Rail East early works. We have not released that money under the National Land Transport Act. We are required to get a PPR and to get information from the Victorian state government, and that hasn't been forthcoming to us as yet for the release of that funding. The Victorian Government obviously will ask, as they do through budget processes and election processes, for further money. And that will be for, any deliberations about that will be part of cabinet deliberations.

JOURNALIST: So will it- was that first 400 million tranche due this financial year, was that pushed back because that information hadn't been forthcoming?

CATHERINE KING: Well, we haven't received the PPR from the Victorian Government and that is the basis under the National Land Transport act that I released on you for projects that were made co-investment decisions about. So we haven't received that as yet. 

Any further commitment to funds to Suburban Rail Loop, I've also said clearly, is dependent on Infrastructure Australia advice, and that would require Infrastructure Australia to get that advice from the Victorian Government as to- to develop the business case in terms of Suburban Rail Loop East [indistinct].

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] infrastructure here, we expect further federal funding for future weeks, as part of this [indistinct]. Is it fair to say the ACT is getting the fair share with $100 million package [indistinct]?

CATHERINE KING: Well, it will be competitive and I want to make sure that we get the best projects up and they are active transport projects. So they are about [indistinct] trying to get more people to actively- to get onto active transport and to get out of cars and to make that link into public transport. So it will be competitive. But can I say, the ACT have really been leading the way when it comes to this issue. If you see the request for cycleways, the work that they've been doing in linking some suburbs up into Civic and beyond, really they're in a very good position to be very competitive when they put forward applications to that fund. And really the fund was driven because we could see from the ACT, Katy Gallagher was making representations to me, Chief Minister Barr, every time I meet with him talks about urban planning and the need to move people around Canberra in a way that does promote us getting to net zero as well. That fund, the decision we made in the budget to put $100 million into the cycle fund really did come as an idea from the ACT Government. So I think they're in a pretty good position.

JOURNALIST: Just very quickly, the demand [indistinct]. Can we expect further funding for [indistinct]?

CATHERINE KING: Yeah. Certainly, regional centres- so local councils will be able to apply for the fund, as will state and territory governments. And we’re still working on the guidelines. But really, this fund is about mode shift, and that happens in the regions as well. Being able to connect people from public transport, to the train station, buses to work and to home in a way that enables them to use, whether it's scooters as I've got in my hometown of Ballarat, as well as cycling. Our regional cities are not immune to that. They're interested in moving people around their cities in the same way the big capital cities are as well.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct]

ANDREW BARR: No. So in short, we don't use most of the systems that were impacted. So happily for us, we're not anywhere near as impacted as other governments and private sector organisations. So the advice I've had over the weekend was very limited impact on the ACT Government.

JOURNALIST: But how well did the government [indistinct]?

ANDREW BARR: I think in this instance, it was good luck that we weren't using some of those systems and products that were impacted by the software- failure of the software update.

JOURNALIST: And what is the government planning to do to make sure that [indistinct]?

ANDREW BARR: Well, we put in place rigorous systems to support at our end, at the user end, but obviously we, like every other purchaser of software, would be susceptible if the software provider put out an update that effectively stuffed up their own systems. So in this instance, the cause of that problem related to the software supplier, it wasn’t at the users end. Thank you.

CATHERINE KING: Thank you.