Page 4715 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 10 November 2009
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The Greens worked with the government to get a better balance between speed and integrity of the ACT planning system.
On small business, I am concerned that the Chief Minister has put on his list of achievements the government’s engagement with the microbusiness community. The government held one forum a few months ago and there has been little follow-up or continuing engagement on any of the issues raised. This forum was only held due to it being an item in the parliamentary agreement. We hope that there is some follow-up from the forum that delivers some meaningful outcomes in this area.
On supermarkets, we commend the government on their work on updating the ACT’s supermarket policy. This is a complex area and one which is being grappled with across the country. We applaud the work of John Martin in attempting to create a policy which will break down the dominance of the two major supermarket chains in the ACT and provide more space for independent supermarkets to thrive. We are also pleased that Mr Martin has taken on the Greens’ concerns in his review about supporting local shopping centres which are the lifeblood of our neighbourhoods.
On cycle paths, the Chief Minister’s pride in new cycle paths is heartening indeed but we must remind people that the funding for these paths has come through due to the Greens putting this in the parliamentary agreement. This extra funding has led to an increased focus on improving our cycle path network across Canberra, as well as the development of a cycle path and pedestrian network plan.
On the greening of the local economy, it is great too that the Chief Minister is proud of the greening local economy paper which is being developed. However, again it must be noted that this paper would not be in the process of development had it not been an item proposed in the agreement by the Greens, and we look forward to seeing the paper very soon.
On the Kingston library, we would have liked to have been acknowledged. We are a bit disappointed the Chief Minister did not acknowledge the role of the Greens in the delivery of the Kingston library—if not at least acknowledge that this was an agreement item then perhaps acknowledge that the community itself played a strong role in advocating for the re-establishment of a library service in the inner south.
The Greens have also been instrumental in ensuring that the greater community is informed about the changes to the Unit Titles Act and, in particular, the creation of the two new guides. Again, it would not have happened without the Greens’ intervention on this matter.
We are very pleased that Mr Stanhope has taken the road safety campaign to heart. However, we note that the proposal to reduce speed limits around town and shopping centres to 40 kilometres is a Greens proposal in the agreement. The Greens are also very concerned about road safety issues and will continue to push the government to make our roads safer for all users—car drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.
In summary, we would like to join the Chief Minister in feeling proud of the outcomes of the past 12 months, and we take pride in the things that we too have
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