Page 1648 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 2 June 2021
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the SLA wrote to the Gungahlin Community Council in May to give a commitment on consultation about future land sales. The Deputy Chief Minister also met with the council and heard from them directly.
This motion reinforces the commitment that the government has made about consultation. It is also important to remember that, as we undertake that consultation, the aim is to provide more housing supply and better housing options for the whole community.
The government understands there will be strong views about suburban development and public housing. In responding to those views, we work to find ways forward that deliver more housing for Canberrans. The decisions we make as a government must show a credible path to deliver more housing and to meet our parliamentary and governing agreement commitments.
When it comes to housing, that sometimes means that we have to decide to build new housing, particularly public and supportive housing, that is high quality, dignified and efficient, in existing suburbs, without the unanimous support of every single member of the community. We will always engage, and we will always show, within our land release program, that we are delivering on the commitments that we have made.
On this motion, and in any conversation about land, our focus is, and will continue to be, on realistic paths to deliver more public housing, more affordable housing and more homes across Canberra to meet demand. We promised to ensure more housing options in the election, through the parliamentary and governing agreement. We remain firmly focused on meeting those commitments.
The government is happy to support the motion as amended that is before us today because it accurately reflects our determination to deliver housing for Canberrans in need, whilst supporting growing communities, and making the Gungahlin town centre an even better place with a more diverse range of economic activity. That is the commitment. That is what we are working to deliver.
MR MILLIGAN (Yerrabi) (5.06): What a rollercoaster it has been for the people of the Gungahlin community. They get their hopes up and then they come crashing down. They are caught like mice on a little treadmill.
The Canberra Liberals are not anti-development. Just the opposite. We favour the right form of development for Gungahlin town centre and the whole Gungahlin community. Under this government, that is not happening. The outer north, Gungahlin, has so much to offer. We have a great community, a diverse community, with lots of hardworking people. What we do not have is a government willing to invest in our region and willing to listen. I think about the missed opportunities in Gungahlin, particularly the town centre. It is so frustrating.
Gungahlin is one of the 18 districts in the ACT. In 1991, it had only 381 residents. Today, as we know, it is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. In 2021, Gungahlin has over 70,000 residents. It is projected to go above 100,000 by 2041.
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