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1. What was proposedFiona CarrickIndependent · Crossbench
   Read the original wording (500 words)

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) residents across Canberra’s south use three north-south corridors to transit north: the Tuggeranong Parkway, the Monaro Highway and Adelaide Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue; (b) Canberra’s south includes Woden, Weston Creek, Molonglo, Tuggeranong and the Inner South; (c) the Adelaide Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue corridor is the only one of these being planned for a dedicated public transport corridor to provide journey time reliability into the future, with journey time a key driver of patronage; (d) the Light Rail Stage 2B will eliminate the existing transit bus lanes along Adelaide Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue used by rapid bus services; (e) the Light Rail Stage 2B Environmental Impact Statement states that: (i) assessment of the outcomes of the traffic modelling, both with and without light rail in future years, has highlighted that without further investment in roads and public transport (including light rail), significant traffic congestion and deteriorating vehicle and bus travel times will occur, especially during peak hours; and (ii) an integrated light rail network is more than just the journey between stops; it creates better connections to buses and improves “last mile” offerings, including cycling and pedestrian routes; (f) there is very limited information about how Light Rail Stage 2B will integrate with the bus network from across Canberra’s south; (g) ACT Labor’s 2024 Policy Position Statement states “building light rail to Woden will help create a fast frequent and reliable transport spine that better connects some of our major town centres. This will make it easier to get between town centres as well as improving suburban accessibility in combination with our strengthened bus network”; and (h) planning for good public transport needs to consider the reliability, frequency and travel times of services. These characteristics are required to attract residents to use public transport; (2) further notes that: (a) stage 1 - the bus network and how it integrates into light rail was released after light rail was constructed; (b) stage 2 - the routes for the bus network across the south, and how they integrate into light rail are unknown; (c) many members of the community are concerned about the lack of information about how many changes will be required to travel to the city and total journey times; and (d) to facilitate an informed discussion, it is necessary to understand the form of the future public transport network across Canberra’s south; and (3) calls on the ACT Government to: (a) develop the draft bus network for Canberra’s south to show the routes from each suburb that will form the service to the city, including integration with light rail; (b) identify the location and number of times passengers will change public transport vehicles to travel from their suburb to the city; (c) identify the indicative total journey times and assess reliability of services from each suburb to the city, for both the State Circle and Barton dogleg alignments, including underlying assumptions; and (d) report back to the Assembly by 2 December 2025 with (3)(a) to (c).

2. Proposed changeChris SteelLabor · Minister16 September 2025

   Removed the note on bus lanes, and replaced detailed network data due December 2025 with continuing direct buses, considering bus priority, options by June 2026 and a report by the end of 2026. Our summary, review in progress

   The exact wording of this change

   together: 1. Omit paragraph (1)(d). 2. Omit all text after “(3) calls on the ACT Government to”, substitute: “(a) commit to continuing to provide public transport users with direct bus services, including rapid bus services, from Canberra’s south to the city once Light Rail Stage 2B operations commence; (b) consider public transport infrastructure improvements, including bus priority and transit lanes, for major public transport corridors between Canberra’s south and the city, including along the final light rail stage 2B alignment; (c) publish conceptual options for the bus network from Canberra’s south, integrating into light rail, by June 2026; (d) release a future bus network which outlines the proposed rapid bus network, including interchanges between rapid bus services and light rail, and connections between light rails and rapid and local bus services across Canberra’s south, as part of the public exhibition of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Light Rail Stage 2B; (e) develop an updated master plan for the public transport network, which includes the final light rail stage 2B alignments and proposed bus network, including rapid buses and local buses from across Canberra’s south, as part of the Planning Strategy refresh; (f) consult with the community at least two (2) years before the commencement of the new bus network aligned with operations commencing on light rail stage 2B; and (g) report back to the Assembly by the last sitting day of 2026 on (3)(b) to (d).”. Debate continued.

   Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

3. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

   Decided on the voices: no individual votes were recorded, so this doesn’t show that every MLA agreed.

   Final agreed wording, with changes marked

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) residents across Canberra’s south use three north-south corridors to transit north: the Tuggeranong Parkway, the Monaro Highway and Adelaide Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue; (b) Canberra’s south includes Woden, Weston Creek, Molonglo, Tuggeranong and the Inner South; (c) the Adelaide Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue corridor is the only one of these being planned for a dedicated public transport corridor to provide journey time reliability into the future, with journey time a key driver of patronage; (d) the Light Rail Stage 2B Environmental Impact Statement states that: (i) assessment of the outcomes of the traffic modelling, both with and without light rail in future years, has highlighted that without further investment in roads and public transport (including light rail), significant traffic congestion and deteriorating vehicle and bus travel times will occur, especially during peak hours; and (ii) an integrated light rail network is more than just the journey between stops; it creates better connections to buses and improves “last mile” offerings, including cycling and pedestrian routes; (e) there is very limited information about how Light Rail Stage 2B will integrate with the bus network from across Canberra’s south; (f) ACT Labor’s 2024 Policy Position Statement states “building light rail to Woden will help create a fast frequent and reliable transport spine that better connects some of our major town centres. This will make it easier to get between town centres as well as improving suburban accessibility in combination with our strengthened bus network”; and (g) planning for good public transport needs to consider the reliability, frequency and travel times of services. These characteristics are required to attract residents to use public transport; (2) further notes that: (a) stage 1 - the bus network and how it integrates into light rail was released after light rail was constructed; (b) stage 2 - the routes for the bus network across the south, and how they integrate into light rail are unknown; (c) many members of the community are concerned about the lack of information about how many changes will be required to travel to the city and total journey times; and (d) to facilitate an informed discussion, it is necessary to understand the form of the future public transport network across Canberra’s south; and (3) calls on the ACT Government to: (a) commit to continuing to provide public transport users with direct bus services, including rapid bus services, from Canberra’s south to the city once Light Rail Stage 2B operations commence; (b) consider public transport infrastructure improvements, including bus priority and transit lanes, for major public transport corridors between Canberra’s south and the city, including along the final light rail stage 2B alignment; (c) publish conceptual options for the bus network from Canberra’s south, integrating into light rail, by June 2026; (d) release a future bus network which outlines the proposed rapid bus network, including interchanges between rapid bus services and light rail, and connections between light rails and rapid and local bus services across Canberra’s south, as part of the public exhibition of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Light Rail Stage 2B; (e) develop an updated master plan for the public transport network, which includes the final light rail stage 2B alignments and proposed bus network, including rapid buses and local buses from across Canberra’s south, as part of the Planning Strategy refresh; (f) consult with the community at least two (2) years before the commencement of the new bus network aligned with operations commencing on light rail stage 2B; and (g) report back to the Assembly by the last sitting day of 2026 on (3)(b) to (d)Steel.

   Original and final wording compared

   taken out put in

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) residents across Canberra’s south use three north-south corridors to transit north: the Tuggeranong Parkway, the Monaro Highway and Adelaide Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue; (b) Canberra’s south includes Woden, Weston Creek, Molonglo, Tuggeranong and the Inner South; (c) the Adelaide Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue corridor is the only one of these being planned for a dedicated public transport corridor to provide journey time reliability into the future, with journey time a key driver of patronage; (d) the Light Rail Stage 2B [taken out: will eliminate the existing transit bus lanes along Adelaide Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue used by rapid bus services; (e) the Light Rail Stage 2B]Environmental Impact Statement states that: (i) assessment of the outcomes of the traffic modelling, both with and without light rail in future years, has highlighted that without further investment in roads and public transport (including light rail), significant traffic congestion and deteriorating vehicle and bus travel times will occur, especially during peak hours; and (ii) an integrated light rail network is more than just the journey between stops; it creates better connections to buses and improves “last mile” offerings, including cycling and pedestrian routes; [taken out: (f)][put in: (e)]there is very limited information about how Light Rail Stage 2B will integrate with the bus network from across Canberra’s south; [taken out: (g)][put in: (f)]ACT Labor’s 2024 Policy Position Statement states “building light rail to Woden will help create a fast frequent and reliable transport spine that better connects some of our major town centres. This will make it easier to get between town centres as well as improving suburban accessibility in combination with our strengthened bus network”; and [taken out: (h)][put in: (g)]planning for good public transport needs to consider the reliability, frequency and travel times of services. These characteristics are required to attract residents to use public transport; (2) further notes that: (a) stage 1 - the bus network and how it integrates into light rail was released after light rail was constructed; (b) stage 2 - the routes for the bus network across the south, and how they integrate into light rail are unknown; (c) many members of the community are concerned about the lack of information about how many changes will be required to travel to the city and total journey times; and (d) to facilitate an informed discussion, it is necessary to understand the form of the future public transport network across Canberra’s south; and (3) calls on the ACT Government to: (a) [taken out: develop the draft][put in: commit to continuing to provide public transport users with direct]bus [taken out: network for][put in: services, including rapid bus services, from]Canberra’s south to [taken out: show]the [taken out: routes from each suburb that will form the service to the]city [taken out: including integration with][put in: once]Light Rail [put in: Stage 2B operations commence;](b) [taken out: identify the location][put in: consider public transport infrastructure improvements, including bus priority]and [taken out: number of times passengers will change][put in: transit lanes, for major]public transport [taken out: vehicles to travel from their suburb to][put in: corridors between Canberra’s south and]the city, [put in: including along the final light rail stage 2B alignment;](c) [taken out: identify][put in: publish conceptual options for]the [taken out: indicative total journey times][put in: bus network from Canberra’s south, integrating into light rail, by June 2026; (d) release a future bus network which outlines the proposed rapid bus network, including interchanges between rapid bus services]and [taken out: assess reliability of][put in: light rail, and connections between light rails and rapid and local bus]services [taken out: from each suburb to][put in: across Canberra’s south, as part of]the [taken out: city,][put in: public exhibition of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)]for [taken out: both][put in: Light Rail Stage 2B; (e) develop an updated master plan for]the [taken out: State Circle and Barton dogleg][put in: public transport network, which includes the final light rail stage 2B]alignments [put in: and proposed bus network,]including [taken out: underlying assumptions;][put in: rapid buses]and [taken out: (d)][put in: local buses from across Canberra’s south, as part of the Planning Strategy refresh; (f) consult with the community at least two (2) years before the commencement of the new bus network aligned with operations commencing on light rail stage 2B; and (g)]report back to the Assembly by [taken out: 2 December 2025 with (3)(a)][put in: the last sitting day of 2026 on (3)(b)]to [taken out: (c).][put in: (d).]

   Compared word by word by computer, ignoring punctuation. It shows what differs, not which change made each difference; the steps above show that.