Page 569 - Week 02 - Thursday, 9 March 2006
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In January this year stage 2 of the $800,000 Belconnen lakeshore restoration commenced. The design for this refurbishment includes a more accessible promenade as well as new paving, landscaping, street furniture and lighting. The project will also bring users of the area closer to the water level along the southern portion of the promenade. This second stage follows the successful reconstruction in 2003 of the plaza between the restaurants and the wooden footbridge. It continues the ACT government’s revitalisation of the foreshore to create a safe, attractive environment for Belconnen residents and visitors to enjoy. The combination of private building work on leased blocks and this upgrade of the public realm will greatly enhance Lake Ginninderra’s reputation as an important destination for visitors and a high quality location in which to reside.
Funding has also been provided for stage 2 of the Belconnen library upgrade, which will include upgrades to seating, study areas, improvements to accessibility and safety, and new carpet and furniture. The Stanhope government has also improved the look of the city through the colour-in Canberra competition which was run last year. This competition saw members of the community out painting traffic control boxes next to intersections in an effort to liven up their neighbourhoods and help reduce graffiti. I am pleased to report that the competition was a huge success, with over 50 entries, and that this year the government will be looking at expanding the program into more suburbs of Canberra. I think I speak for many in the community when I say that the newly painted bright controller boxes not only add colour to our landscape but have also become a wonderful sight to point out to the kids when driving or walking along our streets.
The Stanhope government acknowledges that, as the city ages, infrastructure and assets deteriorate. We have shown commitment through the above initiatives—and more—to maintaining, upgrading and improving our infrastructure in order to maintain Canberra as the beautiful city that it is. In doing this we have to be responsible and ensure that we are doing it in the most cost-effective way and within our means. Unforeseen circumstances, such as bushfires and the drought, have certainly put pressure on the maintenance and upgrade budgets. However, we will continue to treat this as an area of very high priority and deliver services and maintenance to the expectations of the community.
I am a little bit surprised at the talking down of the town by Mr Pratt, when he could very easily have gone through some of the budget documents since the Stanhope government came to power. Had he done so, he would have seen that significant additional funding has been put in there to maintain and enhance not only the urban infrastructure in this town but also the amenity of the people who live here and those who visit the town. People like Mr Pratt ought to understand that we are living in a man-made urban forest—there were sheep here originally—and that that does not come without additional cost.
After this town was first established it saw its heyday in the 1970s, when money was freely available from the federal government and we did not have to worry about a thing. The introduction of self-government came at a time when that money dried up. It is now up to the people of Canberra to dig into their pockets to maintain their city as best they can. I am quite happy to say to this Assembly that I think we have taken a responsible approach to it; we do it within the budget; we prioritise and we are very proud of the additional resources we have put into the program of enhancing and maintaining our city. To suggest that we have an ugly city with graffiti on almost every wall is an absolute
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