Page 3616 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 26 August 2008
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Mr Corbell: They oppose it.
MR HARGREAVES: And Mr Corbell is dead right: they oppose it. They want to denigrate the city, and they still don’t like it. Mr Speaker, I am devastated. Of course, the officers from ACT Parks, Conservation and Lands have been meeting with the city ranger on a weekly basis. The management and maintenance of the city centre and surrounds is a joint responsibility between public and private interests, as I have said. Irrespective of the ownership boundary, the city should have consistency in maintenance and cleanliness.
Ageing furniture around the city will be removed as part of the Canberra central project. $495,000 has been allocated for the replacement of street furniture in Garema Place and sections of City Walk during 2008. A new shade structure and associated artwork will be installed in Garema Place in 2008 at a cost of $260,000. Bunda Street will be upgraded in 2009 with a total funding allocation of $4 million. The works will provide improvements to lighting, street furniture, street trees and paving on Bunda Street from Northbourne Avenue to Petrie Street. This project includes $150,000 for a public art component. A $3 million City West infrastructure stage 2 project will begin.
Opposition members interjecting—
MR HARGREAVES: These guys just don’t like to hear the fact that we are actually spending taxpayers’ money on improving the city.
Mr Pratt: Badly.
MR HARGREAVES: They are saying “badly”. So it is bad news to spend $3 million on City West infrastructure stage 2. It is bad news, according to those opposite, that we have allocated an additional $1 million to spruce up the city through the removal of dead trees and shrubs. The government has committed more than $20 million towards capital upgrades to ensure that Canberra remains one of the greatest cities in Australia, in my view.
Opposition members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Mrs Burke and Mr Pratt, have a look at standing order 39. You should not be making noises to interrupt the speaker.
MR HARGREAVES: The government will spend $1 million to upgrade the Deakin shops, $1.6 million to upgrade the Ainslie shops and $1 million for the Garran shops upgrade. These people opposite are saying that is wasted money. Interested community members attended a successful community meeting about the Deakin shops upgrade on Saturday, 28 June and were given the opportunity to comment on it.
This funding is part of our local shopping precinct upgrade program. The ones we have already done are Kambah, Holder, Griffith, Mawson, Higgins, Holt and the recently completed Melba one. What part of “upgrades” don’t these people understand? We are putting so much money into sprucing up the city and these guys over here are saying to us that it is wasted money. I think the community out there is
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