Page 3305 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 October 2022
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feedback that is quite different, depending on the circumstances, the experience of those communities of those spaces and what they would like to see built in those spaces, and it could be a range of different things. So we will continue to consult with the community as we go through the shopping centre upgrades program to find out what is appropriate in that location in Monash.
Ms Lawder: Point of order, Madam Speaker. The question was quite clearly: is the upgrade still going ahead? It was not about consulting with the community. Is the upgrade going ahead—yes or no?
MADAM SPEAKER: Without directing the minister how to answer the question, but if you can come to that point, Minister.
MR STEEL: We will consult with the community on what they would like to see in that location before we go ahead. It could be quite different, depending on what the changed circumstances are at that shopping centre.
We have put forward a range of shopping centre upgrades. That was based on work that had been done by TCCS and informed by condition audits of shopping centres and where their current infrastructure is at at the moment. We will look at what we can do to improve that infrastructure, and that could mean that it is quite different to what is currently there and may take into account the changed use at that shopping centre to provide early childhood services as opposed to retail services over the next period. We will have that conversation with the community before we determine and make a decision on what upgrades will be happening there.
We have made a commitment to upgrade a range of different shopping centres and other public spaces through public realm improvements. The opposition did not make that commitment at the election. We are getting on with the job of delivering the promises that we made. You never promised anything and you cannot deliver
MS LAWDER: Minister, why is it not up to the proponent to make the changes that may happen at Monash shops, rather than at ratepayers’ expense, given the development application lodged?
MR STEEL: At a number of different shopping centres, when we have undertaken upgrades and we have consulted with the community, we try to get the greatest benefit to the community by making sure that private investment also complements the public investment being made often at the same time. Sometimes one follows the other.
We will work out what the particular circumstances are at that shopping centre. If there is a live application that is coming ahead of the upgrades at Monash, we will obviously consider what urban realm upgrades there are. But there will be a clear demarcation about what is public land, which is the responsibility of the ACT government to improve, and what is private land. We will work with local business but also the broader community about what they would like to see at that shop.
Richardson shops is another example down Ms Lawder’s way. We have undertaken upgrades there in terms of play space improvements. That benefits the whole community. It does not matter what is in the shopping centre. We hope that that will
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