Page 1869 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 2 June 2015
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Tuesday, 2 June 2015
MADAM SPEAKER (Mrs Dunne) took the chair at 10 am, made a formal recognition that the Assembly was meeting on the lands of the traditional custodians, and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.
Petitions
The following petition was lodged for presentation, by Mr Doszpot, from 872 residents:
Schools—Telopea Park—petition No 6-15
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory
This petition of certain residents of the Australian Capital Territory draws to the attention of the Assembly that:
In February of this year, the ACT government made the decision to acquire approximately 1/3 of Telopea Park School’s sporting fields as part of a land swap deal undertaken for urban renewal initiatives (Block 5, Section 36, Division of Forrest). The Canberra Times reported this decision as having been made on February 13th, 2015. The Telopea Park School Parents & Citizens Association sought confirmation of this decision by writing to the ACT government that same month. However, the association only was informed officially of the ACT government’s decision and the impact it would have on the school community on 9th April, 2015. In these communications, it has been clearly stated that due diligence on the block and traffic assessments were not performed prior to this decision being made, nor were they done before the lease was transferred to the LOA. Not only was this decision taken without prior public consultation, it has also removed the community’s right to respond to planning and decision making that directly affects their lives.
The Telopea Park School Playing Fields, Block 5, Section 36, is currently utilised by the school to deliver its curriculum and promote the sporting development of its more than 1200 students. The loss of this land will result in reduced open space for sporting facilities as well as both structured and unstructured active play. In an increasing ‘screen-based’ world, these outdoor physical activities, and the space in which to do them, are vital for healthy growth and development; improving movement, balance, coordination; and promoting the teamwork and social skills of our youth.
Your petitioners therefore request the Assembly to:
• Cease all actions pertaining to the Block 5, Section 36, Division of Forrest, on which the Telopea Park School Tennis Courts reside;
• Reverse the decision to rezone and redevelop the land,
• Issue a new lease to the Education and Training Directorate for the express use of the Telopea Park School
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