Page 2716 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 6 June 2012
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But the big benefit that comes from this is the capacity to allow people to move more freely from different housing types that meet their needs at different stages in their lives. It leads to greater allocative efficiency of the housing stock, and that is something that should be supported.
Roads—Constitution Avenue
MS LE COUTEUR: My question is to the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and relates to the proposed Constitution Avenue upgrade. Former Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, in estimates in May 2009, described the funding for the upgrade as being due to:
… an explicit understanding between the ACT government and the commonwealth government, which involved the upgrading of Constitution Avenue—we would transfer certain land associated with the roads, road verges to the commonwealth …
Why does the government describe the $42 million from the Australian government as a gift, as you have done in your media release on 3 April?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Ms Le Couteur for the question. The word “gift” has been used by the commonwealth to describe the $42 million funding; it has been packaged from them as part of the centenary gift to the city. But we are all aware of the history of that project. I did not really care how they tag the money as long as it came back to the territory, where it was rightfully due.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Le Couteur, a supplementary.
MS LE COUTEUR: What is the government’s position as to which end of Constitution Avenue should be upgraded first, the city end or the Russell end, and why is it taking whichever position it is taking?
MS GALLAGHER: We have had the first round of community consultation over the plans for Constitution Avenue. I am getting quite a lot of letters, particularly from the residents of Campbell, around the proposed staging of that work. At the moment the plan is to upgrade the city side. The feedback we are getting, certainly from a lot of community representations, has been around upgrading the road closer to the ASIO building. I have asked that I discuss this with my directorate next week because of the community feedback that I have been getting and the capacity to incorporate some of that feedback into our decisions. So we have not taken those decisions yet.
MS HUNTER: A supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Hunter.
MS HUNTER: Chief Minister, is the government satisfied that the National Capital Authority upgrade works on the Constitution Avenue intersection with Anzac Parade,
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