Page 75 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 10 February 2015
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What has been some of the feedback? We have seen, for example, very strong response on making sure that people can easily transition from cycling to using light rail and completing their journey by cycling. As a direct result, we have made sure our light rail vehicles must be able to accommodate bicycles. Our bicycling culture will be strengthened through this important decision as a result of community engagement and interaction.
Further consultation has included discussions on issues such as the design of light rail and how this integrates into the Gungahlin town centre. More than 70 per cent of survey responses have supported the proposal to make the area of Hibberson Street between Gungahlin Place and Hinder Street a pedestrian and light rail only zone. That is a great level of feedback from people in the Gungahlin district who are keen to see these issues addressed and some of their concerns about Hibberson Street responded to through this project.
We now have consultation occurring in relation to the detailed urban design. That includes reaching out to people at 10 separate locations around our city. We have seen the checkpoint station at a range of locations, including Watson, Dickson and Cooleman Court. We have reached out to a broad range of locations, and in the coming week we will be at O Week at the University of Canberra, at Kippax, at a Capitals game, at a Brumbies game and at the Multicultural Festival. We are reaching out to a very broad range of locations; we are not simply relying on people knowing where the notice is and putting in a submission.
These are concrete examples of a government that is engaged in a comprehensive consultation process in relation to this project and in relation to government decision making broadly. We value it, we recognise, and we invest considerably in it. We will continue to invest considerably in it because, whilst it is a cheap, easy shot from the negative naysayers on the other side of this chamber, spending money on good-quality materials and information to assist people to understand government decision making and to have an informed say on it is important to good governance, it is important to showing respect and engagement with the Canberra community, and that will continue to be the approach that this government adopts.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo—Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Justice, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Transport Reform) (4.01): The Greens support community engagement in decision-making processes because participatory democracy is one of our founding principles. It is one of the four key pillars of the Greens, and so it is something we have given a lot of thought to and something we seek to practise both within our party and in the roles we play in parliament. Certainly in the 20 years since the Greens have been in the Assembly we have actively advocated for open government and clear community engagement processes.
Over time we have been successful in achieving some improvements, such as pre-DA consultation for large development applications, improved signage and notification for developments and the instigation of a number of committee inquiries which have provided the community with an opportunity to contribute to policy development.
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