Page 3778 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 29 October 2014
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I support the construction of Majura parkway, but I urge the government to ensure that access to and from the road is appropriate. I request that the government address this concern by providing to the Assembly their plans to address this issue.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo—Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Corrective Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for Sport and Recreation) (3.52): I welcome Mr Coe putting forward this motion today. As the minister responsible for delivering the Majura parkway project, I welcome the opportunity to speak about how it is progressing, the impact it will have on the road network when it is opened up and what other measures the ACT government is currently considering in managing transport requirements in this area.
The Majura parkway project is making good progress, I am happy to report to the Assembly. If any members have been out to the area recently they will have seen how much work is underway, and much of it on very good time frames, with the predominant and remaining large piece of work the construction of the bridge across the Molonglo River, which is, I guess, the single biggest piece of work still to come on the project.
When open, the Majura parkway will complete the eastern parkway system in Canberra. It was confirmed as a priority project nationally when it successfully secured funding through an Infrastructure Australia bid in 2010. The project has a favourable cost-benefit return estimated, as Mr Coe has already spoken of today. The key to developing this successful bid was the ability of the ACT government to demonstrate that the project could contribute to the national, regional and local economies over an extended period of time.
Projects such as the Majura parkway project are not developed in isolation and form part of a wider plan for managing transport needs as the city develops. The Majura parkway is but one element of a wider transport for Canberra plan which outlines how the ACT seeks to develop and implement more sustainable transport options into the future as our city develops.
Transport for Canberra outlines strategies for improved walking and cycling infrastructure and the provision of better links with public transport connections, whether to existing ACTION buses or a future light rail network. Transport for Canberra identifies an integrated approach to transport that can be rolled out incrementally over time across different transport options. Developing a freight strategy also forms part of the transport for Canberra plan. This recognises the importance of commercial freight to the local economy and the delivering of the freight task over the next 20 years.
Transport for Canberra also identifies other road connections across the territory and region that will need to be provided or upgraded to support development in the city and the wider Canberra and south-east New South Wales region. I think that is important, particularly in the context of discussing the Majura parkway, which is not just a road for this city but was clearly designed to be a road from a regional perspective as well in terms of freight and transport movement.
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