Page 3036 - Week 09 - Thursday, 13 October 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government commit increased ongoing funding to mowing resources.
Does that sound familiar? Maybe that is because following last year’s budget we had two mowing recommendations, which called on the ACT government to: (a) match mowing services to the prevailing weather conditions, including in very wet years; and (b) investigate alternative mowing solutions. How many times do we have to recommend these things before the Labor-Greens government starts listening?
Streetlights also got a run in the recent estimates report. Recommendation 119 states:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government fund an expansion of the streetlight infill program.
Similarly, recommendation 120 states:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government work towards ensuring that the same timeframe for broken streetlights to be fixed is applied across the ACT.
Who knew that delivering working streetlights could be so difficult? These seem to be simple things, but they make a world of difference to residents every day—or, in the case of streetlights, every night. Every night they are concerned about their streetlights that have not been fixed for quite some time. I have been contacted by residents whose entire street is dark because not a single streetlight is working. Here we are in Canberra, the nation’s capital, and this Labor-Greens government cannot even keep the lights on for its residents.
Recommendation 121 is another one of my favourites. It calls on the government to listen to community feedback and ensure that weekly rubbish collections continue for households Canberra-wide under the FOGO rollout. Really? Asking this government to listen to community feedback? It might be asking for a bit too much, Mr Assistant Speaker! I refer you to a recent question I asked about the redevelopment of the Tuggeranong foreshore area. According to the Excel spreadsheet that I got under a freedom of information request, more bins was the fourth most commonly requested item, if you searched by basic terms. It is the fourth most common item, yet this government is not going to produce more bins.
They can consult all they like, but they do not actually listen to community feedback. They might collect it, but they do not do too much about it. Why would the government retain a weekly rubbish collection to help larger families and people with medical rubbish needs when they can introduce a cheap, cost-cutting measure in the name of recycling? We all support FOGO recycling. It is a great initiative. But when people were supporting it initially, they did not realise that it would come at the expense of their weekly rubbish collection.
The government might not be good at the service delivery side, but they are excellent at the spin. Last year, it was about overgrown grass. This year, it is potholed roads. They continue to let Canberrans down when it comes to basic municipal services.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video