Page 2704 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 23 June 2009
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The librarian might be the only person you speak to all week if you are elderly or if you are slightly disadvantaged or left out of the mainstream. They are certainly places around the world, whether they be in Chicago or South Africa, that are respected and are seen as neutral ground but that also are places where communities come together to discuss issues, gain access, get a book to read, whatever it might be.
There is an equation that shows that the further you are away, the more visitation drops off. For instance, again in south Lanyon, if you are reliant on the bus service or if you are a single-car family and the car is not there during the day, you are at a significant disadvantage. For somewhere like Lanyon, we do have a mobile library service, which is a good thing. But it is about having all locations covered and it is about making sure that that radius you are away from a library is made smaller. It is currently, I think, about five kilometres. It should probably be as low as three kilometres.
It is about things as simple as horse paddocks. Many people move to the edge of the outer suburbs in particular to get close to horse paddocks so that they can ride there themselves or encourage their children to learn the discipline that owning a horse is. But we seem to use horse paddocks particularly as just a holding ground. They are just in a holding pattern until the government wants to take that land and develop it. The perimeter suburbs, and particularly the outer perimeter suburbs, are the ideal location. There is a recommendation in the report about making sure that we plan for things as simple as horse paddocks.
Madam Assistant Speaker, the list goes on and on and on. It is about getting balance. It is about rejuvenation of the outer suburbs. It is about renewal. It is about making sure that, yes, we have an obligation to look after Civic and the town centres but at the same stage, where you live, in your suburb and at the edge of a suburb, is also important. (Time expired.)
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Children and Young People, Minister for Planning and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation) (3.49): I thank Mr Smyth for raising this important matter today. Having lived in Flynn, Fraser, Florey, Macgregor, Kambah, Torrens, Chapman and Stirling, amongst many places, in my 32 years in this city, I can very confidently say that Canberra’s outer suburbs are special places filled with fantastic people—Canberra people. That is why this government listens to suburban families, it is why we invest in suburban services and it is why we deliver suburban projects—schools and sportsgrounds, childcare centres and swimming pools.
When you look at the history of this city, you will see that the development of the outer suburbs in particular has been driven by Labor governments at both the federal and territory levels. This is because Labor is good for Canberra; there is no doubt. When contrasting our performance with that of those opposite, it is clear that Labor is good for Canberra and the Liberals are bad for Canberra and bad for Canberra suburbs.
The Leader of the opposition has said today that he will vote against the budget, which means that the Liberals will be voting against services in our outer suburbs.
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