Page 4372 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 30 November 1994
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these facilities that provides the environment for the development of a sense of community. When residents need to leave their neighbourhood to access some of these services they also access other services outside their neighbourhood. This can result in the decline of the remaining local services, further contributing to the centralisation and, in some cases, dehumanisation of service provision.
Madam Speaker, historically, the development of Canberra was focused on the neighbourhood, with each neighbourhood having its own school, shops and other local services. These facilities gave a sense of focus for the local community and enabled that intangible sense of community to develop. I acknowledge, though, Madam Speaker, that times have changed. Transport by car predominates. Indeed, the development of the city has been predicated on private car usage. Extensions to the trading hours of major supermarkets, while meeting consumer demand, have had a major impact on the viability of small shops in local shopping centres. We have also seen changes in petrol retailing patterns, with a shift of emphasis from the local service station with driveway service to the larger self-serve outlet. These examples are indicative of broad societal changes that Canberra has seen over the last few decades - changes which have had a significant impact on Canberra's local centres and communities.
Madam Speaker, we have also seen new suburbs developed without shops or schools, child-care services being linked to group centres in preference to local centres, and reduced maintenance of local open spaces, ovals and playgrounds, although for playgrounds this has changed in recent times. Facilities and services such as these help give a sense of focus for a community, and help foster the development of vibrant and exciting neighbourhoods. We need to recognise that times have changed, while recognising the ongoing need for focus in a community so that neighbourhoods can thrive and grow. This means that government needs to embrace flexibility, adaptability and understanding in the delivery of services to local communities, rather than adopt a narrow, specifically focused approach to local facilities and services on an agency or program basis. The need is to consider the community as a whole, rather than be constrained by artificial boundaries between government agencies.
A clear example to illustrate this point is the example of the community use of schools. As I have discovered recently, few communities have local meeting halls and related community facilities; yet, in most of these communities, there are substantial school facilities - capital assets which may be unused in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays. A number of recommendations have been made by the Social Policy Committee of this Assembly that school facilities should be made more freely available for community use. Yet the Government has effectively buried within the Department of Education and Training the recommendation that school halls and other school facilities be made more affordable and accessible to local communities.
Madam Speaker, the Government has recognised some of the issues affecting local communities and is taking positive action in some cases. Initiatives like community policing and the establishment of local precinct committees, such as that in O'Connor, go some way to recognising the needs of the neighbourhood. But more needs to be done.
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