Page 3349 - Week 11 - Thursday, 11 November 2021
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draft play spaces strategy. One of the key actions under that strategy is to ensure that playgrounds are accessible for all. We want to hear from the community about having an emphasis on strengthening the delivery of playgrounds that are accessible for people with physical and psychosocial disabilities, neurodiverse people and those across the age spectrum. We have existing municipal infrastructure standards in place that guide the provision of new and upgraded play spaces across our city. MIS 10, for fences, guardrails and barriers, provides guidance on the height and distance of safety barriers in the public realm.
MR BRADDOCK: I have a supplementary question. Minister, will this municipal standard provide fences that are high enough to stop children from absconding over the top of them?
MR STEEL: The current municipal infrastructure standards reflect the Australian standard for swimming pool safety, which is a specification of a minimum height of 1.2 metres, although the ACT government is currently assessing a proposal to adopt playground fencing standards which align with guidelines from Kidsafe Australia and also the Building Code of Australia. Playgrounds are built in accordance with the current standards, although there are some playgrounds which were built to previous standards.
All playgrounds are also assessed using an independent level 3 safety and compliance audit annually. Work programs follow where any safety concerns are identified through that process.
It should also be noted that, as identified in the municipal infrastructure standards, fences or barriers are not to be used as passive management to contain unsupervised children. They are not a replacement for supervision by parents, carers or guardians, but we think that they play an important role. In fact, right at the moment we are installing a number of new fences at playgrounds: in Tuggeranong, at the Kambah Adventure Playground; in Throsby at the Throsby Community Playground, Jeffries Street Playground in Gowrie; and Muller Street Playground in Yarralumla; as well as the Greenway Learn to Ride.
MS CLAY: I have a supplementary question. Minister, what will be the date of the publication of the revised standards?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for her question. We are currently undertaking a consultation on the draft play space strategy. We want that full consultation to run its course, and we are really interested in feedback from a variety of different groups, including children with a disability and their parents, carers and guardians about what they would like to see in terms of the strategy going forward. Once the strategy has been adopted by the government in its final form, based on the community feedback that we have received, we will update municipal infrastructure standards accordingly.
Molonglo Valley—Namarag nature reserve
DR PATERSON: My question is to the Minister for Planning and Land Management. Minister, what can you tell us about the new Namarag nature reserve in the Molonglo Valley?
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