Page 1456 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 April 2013
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the last election to upgrade Belconnen High School. The works will be designed to provide a 21st century learning environment that incorporates state-of-the-art ICT systems and equipment, collaborative learning spaces and multi-use areas. The east Belconnen learning, health and high-tech hub is a perfect example of the leadership and transformational projects that are creating the Canberra of the future.
Further west in Belconnen, the Melba Copland High School campus has a major refurbishment of the year 10 Daintree wing, installation of a new lift and car park improvements. Other major works in west Belconnen include the extension of Macgregor Primary School, with new classrooms. There are also a range of upgrades to existing schools in Belconnen, with new roofs, toilets, car parks, sports facilities, landscaping, new shade structures, better school entrances and solar upgrades. The investment in health and education throughout Belconnen is an investment in Canberra and planning the future of our city.
Mr Coe in this debate said that taxpayers want to know how their money is being spent. And I am sure they would be surprised to hear that the former opposition leader is sitting here writing his retirement thank-you notes to his Senate pre-selectors.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (3.50): I thank Ms Porter for bringing this motion on today. It is an important motion because it highlights the importance and the contribution that planning makes to provide a liveable and sustainable city for all of our citizens. And the work that the government is currently undertaking to focus on a clear framework to manage the future growth and development of our city and to also meet the needs and the challenges associated with climate change, water scarcity and the growing population overall really does show that this government is investing in the measures that are needed to meet those challenges.
Today I would like to talk particularly about some of the major elements outlined in Ms Porter’s motion as they deal with the work the government is undertaking in relation to the capital metro project and also the focus on and the role of Civic and our town centres. First of all, to step back, of course last year the government released its new planning strategy for the territory, and that planning strategy outlines how we accommodate growth and development in the city as we see another 50,000 to 60,000 dwellings needed in the city over the next 20 to 30 years. That is very significant growth. That is population that is heading towards half a million people, in fact achieving half a million people, in the period between about 2030 and 2040.
Then, of course, there is also, associated with that, growth in the surrounding region. Of course we will continue to see growth in the surrounding region, particularly in Queanbeyan and Jerrabomberra. And that is particularly important in the context of water supply, because the territory is not just responsible for supplying water to its own citizens but it also has a responsibility to make provision for water supply infrastructure and bulk supply for people who live in Queanbeyan and Jerrabomberra.
So the planning strategy outlines how we are going to try to manage this population growth. It focuses on a mixture of new greenfields release and also consolidation of
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