Page 2715 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 23 June 2009
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improve the health and wellbeing of children and their families. Services provided in the Tuggeranong area include parenting information and support services, specialist clinical services, community development and community education programs. These services are delivered in partnership with other agencies and local community organisations and service providers. The Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services also funds a number of family support programs and youth support programs which are located regionally throughout the ACT to support children, young people and their families.
The government announced $5 million to construct a new performing arts centre at Calwell high school in the 2008-09 budget. This facility will also benefit nearby schools and the community because it will be available for use after hours. The project is set to be completed in time for the start of the 2011 school year. Also on schools, in the 2007-08 budget, $54 million was allocated for the new P-10 school in Kambah. The new school will be a major education centre for Kambah, providing quality education and support services for students and their families. It will provide an expanded and enhanced range of services to supplement those currently provided by other schools in the suburb. The new school will also have capacity to accommodate an intensive language learning unit and specialist learning facilities, such as a flexible learning centre, autism and early intervention units. The construction of the new P-10 school will commence in October 2009 and the school will be ready to accommodate students from the start of the 2011 school year.
Other recent activity concerns the ACT Public Cemeteries Authority. The ACT government has commenced a consultation process on a proposed southern cemetery. That work began early this year with a proposed location in the area to the south of Mugga Lane. The cemetery would be developed in stages and cater for Canberra’s needs for up to 80 years. It would recognise that a crematorium is an important option for most Canberrans, given that increasingly, can I say, that is our preferred choice for our final resting process.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I also noted a report that was tabled in the chamber just this afternoon—a report on the implementation of The Canberra Plan: towards our second century. I will quickly read an extract:
Throughout 2008 and continuing in 2009 the Department of Education worked with the ACT Youth Coalition, Creative Safety Initiatives and the Construction Industry Training Council to develop an innovative program designed to provide an avenue for disengaged youth in the Tuggeranong Valley to reconnect with school. The program is being delivered through the Lanyon Youth Centre and is designed to give at risk students practical hands on experience in the trades along with exposure to occupational health and safety principles.
That is a local initiative. I know the Lanyon Youth Centre do fantastic work in the area.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I have just a quick response to some of the earlier comments by Mr Doszpot. I can let him know that I regularly visit Tharwa. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy being out and about across Brindabella. It is a beautiful area and most weekends you will find me enjoying it. On the matter of GPs, I came here with a long
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