Page 1720 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 4 June 2014
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part of a trial of this new approach, providing the right services for the right duration at the right time. Not only is this a sensible approach to community service delivery, but also it allows for co-design of programs and delivery with the community sector at a highly localised level in order to support families.
Minister Burch has particular initiatives—I am sure she will have the opportunity to talk about these in a moment—around strengthening families. The budget initiative to support an additional 50 vulnerable families in our community is a very timely and important budget investment that we have made in the 2014-15 budget.
Mr Rattenbury’s amendments also raise the issue of environmental protection. I certainly acknowledge that, through his advocacy and the advocacy of the minister for the environment, there are a range of projects and programs contained within this budget that have a focus on protecting our natural environment, ensuring biodiversity.
There are also significant additional funds within the budget in relation to our nature parks, our urban parks and the urban playground that our city sits amongst. That is something that is very clearly a priority for the community, and something that Ministers Rattenbury and Corbell have worked very strongly together on to ensure that we have a good package of measures in this budget that protect the environment and ensure that we are making the right investments in the territory’s municipal service base in particular.
The ACT government is, of course, unique in this country in providing both state and municipal level services. It is a very significant responsibility that we have to provide such a diverse range of services, Madam Deputy Speaker. In seeking to strike the balance between the community’s highest priorities, which are always in the areas of health and education, it is important that we maintain a very strong focus on municipal level services. You see that in this budget with the additional funding in a number of areas.
In the remaining minute and a half of my contribution, I would also like to take the opportunity to highlight the investments that the government has made in this budget in sport and recreation, and in a range of initiatives to support an active and healthier community. Although we already lead the nation by way of participation in sport and recreation, there are a number of initiatives in this budget, from Tuggeranong in the south to Gungahlin in the north and throughout central Canberra, Belconnen, Weston Creek and the Woden valley, that go to support a more active community.
They are small in some instances, through to larger investments—for example, in the Lyneham tennis precinct, that rounds out what is a world-class sporting precinct now in that part of the city. They certainly will facilitate new investment from new investment partners, support our hard-working sport and recreation organisations to deliver quality programs and allow Canberra to continue to be Australia’s healthiest and most active city. That is a record that we are very proud of. (Time expired.)
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (11.44): It has been an interesting morning so far. From the last 1¾ hours, the takeaway from the morning’s debate is the lack of colour and the lack of passion from those opposite in selling their budget. It has been a drab affair. That is probably the take-out message of this budget.
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