Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 11 February this year, a petition was tabled in the House of Representatives from the CPSU about paid parking in the Parliamentary Triangle. I have the the cover sheet here. The petition drew the attention of the House to the ongoing lack of adequate parking and public transport options available to people who work in the Parliamentary Triangle. The CPSU petition went on to request greater consultation with the National Capital Authority on the implementation plan for parking and transport in the Parliamentary Triangle. Two thousand one hundred and thirty-two people signed the petition, which I accepted for tabling because I understand why the Public Sector Union wants a solution to the ongoing parking woes.

The main issue here is that the CPSU is calling on the National Capital Authority to consult with all stakeholders on what they see as a worsening situation. Parking in the Parliamentary Triangle has been a problem for many years now. These parking problems are not new but they have been made worse by the closure of around 400 parking spaces in the zone. For our cultural institutions such as Questacon, the National Library, the National Gallery, the High Court and Old Parliament House, parking problems are a major concern. There has been a marked decline in visitor numbers, and this is being put down to the shortage of parking spaces. When I talk with the management of Questacon and the other cultural institutions, I hear about visitors to Canberra being unable to find a park and being incredibly disappointed that they could not see our major cultural icons.

I understand the problems our tourist attractions are facing and the problems facing public sector workers too. While many tourists are finding it almost impossible to find a park, public servants are also being squeezed out by closures of some car parks and by those who park in the Parliamentary Triangle for free but do not work there. There is rightly some concern that the limited parking spaces are being used by others who then walk or bus to their jobs in the city or elsewhere. I am on the record as supporting paid parking, provided—and I emphasise 'provided'—there are proper services and amenities in place. Every other paid parking area in Canberra is located around shops and amenities. To ask Public Service workers to pay extra dollars every week and not provide them with shops and services is something I do not support. If we are to have paid parking in the Parliamentary Triangle then workers should have access to amenities and services and better public transport options. Workers who pay for parking in other centres in Canberra can do their shopping and dry-cleaning and walk to a chemist or a minimart—in other words, they have access to a wide range of services and conveniences. If we are going to have paid parking in the Parliamentary Triangle then public sector workers and others deserve to have the same services and transport options that other paid parking areas provide.