Page 2681 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
In relation to the Services Club, if accepted by the Assembly, this amendment will undoubtedly delay any process of rebuilding on the site identified in the Manuka precinct, and the Services Club will need to look for some short-term temporary accommodation should they wish to reopen before that time, which I understand is their desire. The government will seek to assist them in their task but, in large part, it is a responsibility of the Services Club to identify alternate sites where they may wish to open on a temporary basis.
In conclusion, I acknowledge that this issue and the lack of definitive answers at various points in the process has caused grief, and I apologise for that. It was necessary for the government to seek preliminary advice on alternate sites. I hope the information provided today and made clear through this amendment to the Assembly provides clarity both in terms of sites the government will consider for future childcare provision and a time frame that people can understand.
Change will not happen quickly; this is a number of years into the future. The Services Club will obviously need to respond and adjust to these circumstances, but in the context of all of the issues and different representations that have been raised with government and seeking to balance the interests of a number of different groups, I felt it was important today in response to Mr Doszpot’s motion to provide the clarity people are seeking on the various issues.
To summarise, from here the government will continue an engagement with the wider community over the future development at the Manuka precinct. That process will take four years minimum. A decision on a replacement site for Mocca will be taken as soon as possible, but my expectation in relation to community consultation on the Griffith site is that that process will be probably 12 to 18 months if not two years. Mocca will remain on its current site until new facilities are constructed. A realistic time frame is towards the end of the decade at the earliest, if they move at all. The lease for the site of the Telopea Park tennis courts will be returned to school and will have an additional community use. The locks will be taken off those tennis courts and they will be opened to the broader community. With that, I commend my amendment to the Assembly.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (10.29): I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue in the Assembly today. There has of course been a lot of discussion in the community, and it has been a source of some considerable angst for many members of the community. I welcome the fact that, particularly in light of the Chief Minister’s comments that he has just made, there will be a lot more certainty and clarity about where things are going.
I have certainly received a considerable amount of representation from constituents regarding what might be loosely called the Manuka land swap, which involves the Canberra Services Club, the Manuka occasional childcare centre, or Mocca, and the Telopea Park School playing fields. I have had meetings with a number of concerned stakeholders and observed the public meeting at Telopea Park School on 13 May. I also attended the public meeting at Mocca on 14 June.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video