Page 2077 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 15 May 2013

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(B) a site for a dental practice in Calwell; and

(2) calls on the Government to ensure that the Calwell Group Centre, and the surrounding community and commercial facilities zones, is added to the master plan program.”.

The purpose of the amendment is to recognise that the Assembly has debated this issue before and to reflect on the earlier motion passed by the Assembly. Bringing this back today, as I said earlier, simply reaffirms the Assembly’s commitment to ensuring that the Calwell group centre is given a good analysis as part of the master planning program. I commend the amendment to the Assembly.

MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella) (5.26): I thank Mr Wall for bringing this important motion to the Assembly, and I want to begin by reflecting on Mr Seselja’s remarks—mine are not negative at all, so do not worry about that—on the press release from the president of the South East Tuggeranong Residents Association and Mr Tsoulias, a spokesman for businesses in the area covered by the South East Tuggeranong Residents Association. I want to remind members of the hard work that Mr Tsoulias has put in over the years.

He has lobbied this government, in particular, very hard and encouraged community support for the Calwell group centre. He has joined with government to dramatically increase parking at the shopping centre over the years and has been successful in calling on government to build the extra 60 park and ride spaces, as we have heard. He continues to lobby government to improve access for interstate shoppers which, I do know, continues to grow, having lived in the suburb for quite a number of years. That has been the growth area. While residential growth has gone up a little—over 10 years ago it started to grow a little—interstate growth at the Calwell group centre is making it busier than before.

The motion refers to the group centre itself, and that location in south Tuggeranong has not experienced significant change in population or employment. Whilst we have had some interstate visitors, the numbers in employment appear to me to stay the same, especially relative to other parts of Canberra.

The metropolitan structure for growth locations is set out clearly in the ACT’s planning strategy, and the ACT planning strategy, which was made effective as a notifiable instrument from 1 September 2012, also sets out the course for change to achieve the desired future outcomes. These desired future outcomes, as expressed by the Canberra community, are for a more compact, more sustainable and more vibrant city. This is described under the strategy’s five outcome statements, and I quote from desired outcome B in the planning strategy. It provides:

In 2030 Canberra will be a city where everyone can take advantage of its network of centres, open spaces and modes of travel to enjoy a sense of wellbeing and participate in a vibrant civic and cultural life.

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