Page 2716 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 23 June 2009
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background in the health sector and I remain committed to improving GP services. I am working with local groups, a local Calwell group, looking at local solutions. Finally, Madam Deputy Speaker, I have enjoyed, and will continue to enjoy, living in the outer suburbs in my electorate of Brindabella.
MS LE COUTEUR (4.30): I have only a few minutes—three, so I will try and talk very quickly—so my speech might be slightly disorganised. We are talking about services and facilities in outer suburbs. One of the most important facilities for people living in suburbs anywhere is employment, somewhere to work. One of the questions on notice that I asked as part of the recent estimates process was in relation to the new government building. I asked:
Has there been any consideration of building a new Government department building in Gungahlin?
The Chief Minister answered:
As there are over 17,000 public servants and the proposed building will house over 3,000 it therefore does not preclude opportunities in other locations.
In other words, no. I think that we need to look at where we have employment in this city. It is one of the most important services for people. It is important that we deliver good services to everyone in Canberra, no matter where they live. Over the past couple of decades Canberra has become more and more of a sprawling city, which has made delivery of services more and more of a challenge. Canberra was originally designed just to have what we now know as an inner south and an inner north. As we have grown into the city, we have had to adjust our service provision policies accordingly. We have not always managed to do that. The reality is that there are always going to be more services in the centre of town and the town centres generally.
This leaves us with the question of how to provide good services for people in the outer suburbs. We have two choices. We can provide as many facilities as possible in the suburbs or we can provide a top-class, affordable public transport system to ensure that people can get to existing services. Unfortunately, I am not confident that this city is doing either of these. We do not have a top-class public transport system and we do not have good services in our outer suburbs. This is a particular problem because, increasingly, our outer suburbs are where the more vulnerable Canberrans live.
The government talks a lot about the provision of affordable housing in new developments, and that is important, but the problem is that a lot of this is going right on the outskirts of Canberra, in places like the fringes of Gungahlin, the fringes of west Belconnen, and there just are not the services there. People often live there with no cars and no public transport and they are basically stuck. An increasing amount of aged-care accommodation is going in locations like that. When schools, shops, medical facilities and community services are not there, it makes it increasingly hard for people who do not have the wherewithal to hop into their car and get somewhere else.
Going back to some further Gungahlin issues, public transport, as I mentioned, is a real issue. Why do we not have a bus interchange in Gungahlin? It would seem to me
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