Page 2073 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 15 May 2013
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There is significant community support. The reason there is significant community support is because they have seen the area falling behind. We have pushed for master plans in other areas and we have seen progress in some of those areas. But what happens when the government does not plan properly is that often poor decisions get made and blocks of land get sold without taking account of the broader context. Parking issues, therefore, do not get properly considered and all of the other factors that go into planning a well-functioning group centre can be missed.
We think there is a compelling case to see a master plan for Calwell. I again commend Mr Wall for bringing this motion forward. I think this is something that should be supported by the Assembly. The government, as we have urged them to do in other areas and as we have in some cases forced them to do in other areas, should take note of what the residents of south-east Tuggeranong are telling them. They should take note of the real need for better planning in this part of Tuggeranong and they should, therefore, support this motion.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo—Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Housing, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for Ageing) (5.15): I thank Mr Wall for raising this issue today, as there is no doubt that the residents of south-east Tuggeranong have a strong interest in the planning and development of their suburbs. However, I would like to bring Mr Wall’s attention to the fact that this is not the first time we have discussed the needs of Calwell in this place. In fact, this exact issue regarding the need for a master plan in Calwell was debated in October 2011. The debate was substantial and culminated in quite a long motion being passed which committed the government to delivering a range of actions which I will address shortly.
My former colleague Amanda Bresnan worked hard to represent the residents of south-east Tuggeranong and raised many of the concerns before us today over the term of the previous Assembly. There are a range of valid issues in the area, including transport, land release and government services and facilities. The Greens are committed to ensuring that southern Tuggeranong has improved services and facilities in coming years and, as the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, I am working to implement a range of improvements.
As Ms Bresnan has outlined in the past, Tuggeranong generally has a number of transport problems, largely due to the way it has been planned and developed and its distance from major employment centres. However, Calwell in particular is one area which has a concentration and diversity of transport problems. The Greens have been long-term advocates for the improved park and ride service at the Calwell group centre. As a group centre, Calwell is ideal for an ACTION park and ride. It will help the residents in this area connect to the bus network and receive the benefits from public transport. We also know a large number of people travel from the regions south of Canberra to the ACT for work and to access services, which is another key reason for having a park and ride at a location such as Calwell.
There are two items in the 2012 parliamentary agreement which directly relate to southern Tuggeranong. The first is ensuring that the federal funding the ACT
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