Page 3697 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 28 October 2014
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Good planning must, of course, not just consider a place but must plan our city for those who live in it. Planning is essentially about people. The ACT prides itself on being the healthiest place in Australia, with longer life expectancy, lower rates of major illness and more active and healthy lifestyles than other jurisdictions. Nevertheless, like many wealthy urban populations around the world, our collective health is threatened by dramatic increases in the rates of people who are overweight and obese.
The healthy weight initiative is guided by the towards zero growth healthy weight action plan which the Chief Minister launched on 14 October 2013. The action plan sets a bold target of zero growth for the ACT through a range of actions under six themes. The six focus areas are clustered around food environment, schools, workplaces, urban planning, social inclusion and evaluation. As recognised in the healthy weight action plan, there is a growing recognition that the built environment influences levels of physical activity whether for transport or recreation. A key way planning is able to deliver against the healthy weight initiative and demonstrate the importance of planning on our urban areas is through the active living program.
The ACT government has provided funding support to the Heart Foundation ACT for the active living program since 2009, and the current program is entering the final year of the three-year program. This program enables the Heart Foundation ACT to engage an ACT active living coordinator to advocate changes to the built environment that support a more active Canberra and build understanding and capacity within government. The program’s objectives, as set out in the current deed of grant, are to increase meaningful inclusion of active living principles throughout ACT government policies and practices, identify opportunities for supportive environments for active living and develop effective strategies to overcome barriers and implement integrated active living across Canberra.
Lessons from the global walkable cities demonstrate the benefits of creating active destinations and high-quality public realm spaces which are integral to creating supportive environments for active living. These spaces are prized in walkable cities.
We also have community facilities providing spaces for residents, workers, students and visitors to meet, participate in activities and programs and for community service provision. Community services include schools, libraries, emergency services, police, health care, child care, aged care, cultural activities and religious services. EPD continues to assess the future demand for community facilities in new development areas and existing areas that may be subject to urban intensification in order to ensure adequate space is planned for those community facilities.
We want to ensure the very best urban environment for our city now and into the future. It is a critical role for government best delivered through careful strategic planning. (Time expired.)
MR COE (Ginninderra) (4.24): I commend and thank Ms Lawder for bringing to the Assembly this very worthwhile matter of public importance for discussion. The nature of the ACT government is that the territory is responsible for all services from grass
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