How hard did Brindabella’s politicians fight to keep the promised pre-election money for road repairs? Not a hard a question, but a hard one to get an answer. It’s “Seven Days” with IAN MEIKLE. 

THE story so far: the ACT government manages to inveigle Finance Minister (and “mother” of the tram in Canberra) Senator Katy Gallagher to move $85.9 million of Commonwealth largesse from road improvements in the south of the city to help nudge light rail along in the inner north.

That’s a foregone upgrade to the south-west corridor ($50.9 million), the Kings Highway corridor ($30 million) and the Boboyan Road upgrade ($5 million) for three more stops servicing the (imminent) high-rise, lakeside set. 

ACT Transport Minister Chris Steel disowned the former federal government’s allocation, laughingly labelling it “pork barrelling”, unlike Minister Gallagher’s virtuous reasoning: “We consulted with the ACT government, which made clear that the priority project for the ACT was Stage 2A of the light rail project and that is why we have redirected funding in this Budget.”

This decision must have come as another terrible blow for the overlooked, ignored and tramless voters in the southern electorate of Brindabella, compelled to live out their lives using only roads. 

Who would stand for this, certainly not their local members? They would have fought this blatant discrimination of money going from the roads of the proud south to the tram-favoured inner-north electorate of Kurrajong (whose local MLAs number Andrew Barr and Shane Rattenbury). 

They would, wouldn’t they? We asked the government members – Labor’s Mick Gentleman and Joy Burch, and Greens MLA Johnathan Davis – the following: Was the $85.9 million worth of roads funding cuts discussed in caucus? If so, how did you vote?

Simple enough and probably top of mind with their electorate: in other words, did you fight for us?

“We won’t be commenting on this one – no response from Minister Gentleman”, came the first media-person reply. 

No joy from Joy; no response at all. And some bottom-of-the-garden twaddle from Johnathan.

He wrote: “Whether it’s in the Assembly chamber, through Assembly committees, in representations to the Commonwealth or indeed in my party room, I always advocate for strong investment in infrastructure and services in Tuggeranong… [I’ll spare you the waffle that follows, but here’s the interesting bit…] 

“I was proud to support a motion from the Minister for Transport and City Services [Chris Steel] in August seeking a collaboration between the Commonwealth Government and the ACT government to upgrade Boboyan Road. 

“I’ve recently contacted the Minister for Transport and City Services and I understand conversations between the Commonwealth and the ACT are ongoing and an agreement has not yet been finalised.”

What was there to talk about, the money was already there? Is Johnathan Davis MLA (he/him) telling us that Steel had already given the roads money away and, three months ago, was trying to get at least Boboyan Road ($5 million), one of the projects he collectively dismissed as “all pork”, back on the Commonwealth’s agenda?

Who would know? The sad reality is that the government, funded from our taxes and charges, continues to make slippery secret decisions with no transparency to ordinary voters. 

I CO-HOST the “CityNews Sunday Roast” interview news program on 2CC (9am-midday). A few weeks back, one of our regular political commentators Dr Andrew Hughes, of the ANU, flabbered my gastor with a thought bubble that said, given the dismay with the standard of local politics and the (seemingly big) thirst for some independent members of the Legislative Assembly, it would make sense for David Pocock to run some candidates in October, 2024. 

That is the giant-killer independent now Senator Pocock who toppled the previously untoppable Liberal Zed Seselja at the last election. 

So we had Senator Pocock on the program the other day and put it straight to him; it would make sense to run Pocock independents at the next ACT election, wouldn’t it, David? 

He hummed a little (to be fair this might have been news to him), he haaa’d, he dodged a little and prevaricated. He grimaced, he smiled, but the best we could get from him was that we should ask him again, but later. 

My partner in radio crime Rod Henshaw suggested that no sharp denial suggested yes. Which the senator didn’t deny. 

If David does run some Pocockians – the Greens worst nightmare – for the Assembly, just remember, you read it here first. 

HERE’S a little rusting nostalgia barely but still surviving the elements that Mike Welsh spotted on the site of a long-gone, old servo near Scullin shops on Ross Smith Street. 

It’s a Bankcard “welcome here” sign that could be the best part of 50 years old. Bankcard was the nation’s first mass-market credit card, a shared card issued by Australian banks between 1974 and 2006. Hard to credit, but before 1974, only store cards, Diners Club and American Express were available in Australia. Bankcard dominated the Australian credit-card market, with more than five million cardholders at its peak in 1984. 

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard with Rod Henshaw on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and interview program, 2CC, 9am-noon. There are more of his columns on citynews.com.au