Page 2063 - Week 07 - Thursday, 24 June 2021
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that it can be trumpeted as a great victory for Tuggeranong along with the big speed hump in Anketell Street.
We often see this north–south divide evidenced here in the chamber. It was evidenced earlier this week by a motion by my Labor colleague Mr Pettersson which called upon the government to expand the e-scooter scheme, but only to Gungahlin and Mitchell. The people in the south of our city have every right to feel neglected and left behind by this Labor-Greens government.
What a test this motion is for this Assembly. It is very similar to the earlier motion on Yerrabi Pond, but it is not talking about Gungahlin; it is talking about Tuggeranong. Lake Tuggeranong is an important part of the Tuggeranong Valley.
Over breakfast this morning, my wife and I were discussing the proceedings in the Assembly. What else would you be talking about over breakfast in Canberra? She asked me about this particular motion. She asked me how many times I believed I would have circumnavigated the lake or part thereof. I could not answer. It would be hundreds. I have done nearly 70 official parkruns at Lake T. Additionally, my road bike has been around the lake on countless occasions—
Ms Cheyne: You almost get a T-shirt!
MR PARTON: I have, yes. It does not look good on me; it is red. On dozens of occasions we have taken a gentle stroll all the way around. In fact, every time in the last four years that my Strava app has said, “Congratulations on your longest run ever on Strava,” it has been Lake Tuggeranong. I am just saying that it forms a pivotal part of the recreation of many people.
The lake, or at least its immediate surrounds, has changed during my time in Canberra. Much of it is courtesy of this government’s urban infill targets, targets which will be almost impossible to fulfill in Tuggeranong as a district. We have seen the addition of many new dwellings in close proximity to the shores of Lake Tuggeranong. This has led to a level of disruption to life around the lake as things are built. It has led to traffic congestion as we have never seen it before in the town centre, I think people would agree. It has also led to more recreational use of the lake. But the massive increase in the recreational use of the lake has not been matched by a commensurate increase in facilities. We are well and truly feeling that.
It is interesting to talk about the planning vision. I spent a number of years as the planning shadow for the Canberra Liberals. When you look at the Labor planning vision, it is very clear that they see a strangulation of the population in Tuggeranong. All the population projections across the city see Tuggeranong’s population declining. So it is no wonder to me that they are going through what is really just a box-ticking exercise for Tuggeranong. They do not care, Mr Assistant Speaker. They do not really care.
It is well past the time that the government should be having more robust conversations with the community to get a handle on what the people of Tuggeranong want and then provide those improvements. I join with Ms Lawder—I am sure most
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