Page 101 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 9 December 2008
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When it comes to the delivery of municipal services, there are a number of realities we live with. One is our sprawling nature. Our city boasts four million square metres of footpaths, that is, 12 square metres for every man, woman and child. Last year the government swept 17,500 kilometres of roadway and maintained 49,000 square metres of footpaths. We maintained and replaced 5,134 signs and patched 12,500 potholes. On any comparison of any city of comparable population but normal compactness, our municipal effort is extraordinarily challenging.
Another reality is the simultaneous ageing of much of our public infrastructure. Our urban forest is reaching the end of its natural life, hurried along by years of drought, and must be replaced. The government has begun the massive generational task. Over the next 25 years, 60 per cent of our urban forest will be replaced. I noticed today, being interested in statistics, that we maintain 630,000 trees in the urban area. The City of Melbourne maintains 40,000. The City of Sydney Council maintains 6,000. The ACT government maintains 630,000. And it is a reflection of some of the stresses on ACT government municipal budgets.
And it is not just trees of course that are ageing. Seventy-five public schools opened in Canberra in the 1960s and the 1970s—75 schools in just two decades, 75 schools that are simultaneously showing their age. That is why every single one of our public schools is getting physical upgrades. And that is why over the coming term the government will deliver a massive $200 million boost to our regular municipal program to improve our urban amenity.
Maintenance and cleaning will be boosted. Paving, lighting and street furniture will be upgraded. We will continue our upgrade of local shopping centres and playgrounds and expand our footpath and cycle path programs—a spring clean to end all spring cleans, a city-wide statement of pride.
While all this is happening on the micro scale, street by street, suburb by suburb, we will be working on the large scale too—duplicating the GDE and extending and upgrading the airport roads. The Flemington Road duplication will proceed, as will the Tharwa Road upgrade, Molonglo Road, the Horse Park Drive duplication, the Kings Highway upgrade, the Athllon Drive duplication and Cohen Street extension and associated public transport improvements for Belconnen. And planning is proceeding for other works, including stage 1 of Majura Parkway, stage 2 of Lanyon Drive and the upgrade of the intersection of Northbourne Avenue and London Circuit.
Over the course of the term the government will continue to implement the integrated public transport strategy, with a major focus on further improving the ACTION bus service and fixing issues with our taxi service. I have already engaged in positive conversation with the taxi providers and expect some real solutions.
Beyond the urban fringe, the government will be busy too over the coming term. This season alone staff from the Department of Territory and Municipal Services will conduct fuel management activities over a staggering 12,000 hectares of forest. Efforts this summer will be concentrated on slashing along major roads, fuel removal from Mount Taylor and Black Mountain, hazard reduction burns, maintenance of access roads in the Kowen Forest and slashing along trails in Namadji.
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