Page 4276 - Week 14 - Thursday, 24 October 1991
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MR STEVENSON (3.21): Mr Speaker, at one time Garema Place could well have been looked upon as being the heart of Canberra. I think some years have passed since then and it has taken on, to some degree, a different flavour. I think it would be advisable for this Assembly, for the members of the Assembly that have the power, to rejuvenate Garema Place and make it truly the heart of the city.
Many people visiting Canberra or many Canberrans have said that Canberra does not necessarily have a soul. I know that we do not think that. When one understands Canberra one certainly realises that it is a unique city and that it can be a wonderful place in which to live. However, in the city there is not a great deal to attract people, particularly at night. Garema Place has had some excellent work done to it to enable it to be used as a place for people to have their meals outdoors and to walk around and look at the shops.
There are some particular problems with the area that have been highlighted over the last year or two. Perhaps the first one, quite importantly, would be the skateboarding activities in the area. There are three problems with that. The Standing Committee on Social Policy inquiry into public behaviour recommended that skateboards not be allowed to be used within Garema Place and the immediate environs.
Firstly, there is a difficulty with elderly people. These skateboarders move around at a very fast speed and it can be quite disconcerting to people, particularly the elderly. They could be the same problem for young people, or indeed anybody who happens to get in the way. I have talked to many people in the Garema Place area - many shopkeepers - quite frequently. I have never heard of any loutish behaviour caused by people who are riding skateboards, and that is certainly not my suggestion. However, for the public safety I think it is obvious that they should be banned from that area and perhaps certain other designated areas around Canberra.
Another problem with the skateboarders is that they make a great deal of noise. A number of shopowners in the area are particularly concerned about the racket made by young people skateboarding in the area.
The third point to do with skateboarding is the damage caused by the skateboarders when they use the chairs in the area and other fixtures as places to skateboard on. At the moment at least one of the green wooden chairs has two sections on one side of it broken off. One would assume that it was done by skateboarding. So, if we take on that recommendation by the Standing Committee on Social Policy to ban skateboards from Garema Place, that would be an excellent idea.
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