Page 2770 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 August 2015
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beyond their promise for light rail. They promised $30 million for light rail; yet somehow they have found a billion dollars for it. You would think they would be able to find some money for the Evatt shops upgrade or for the Gwydir Square shops upgrade if they can find a billion dollars for light rail.
Unfortunately there are so many people in Canberra that feel absolutely deflated by a government that simply invests in light rail at the expense of every other core urban service that should be delivered by a local government. And that is why I urge members to support the motion.
DR BOURKE (Ginninderra) (5.22): I rise to recognise the recent and future shopping centre upgrades in Belconnen. The Melba shops and Scullin shops have had wonderful themed upgrades in recent years. Melba shops pay tribute to Dame Nellie, and Scullin’s upgrades celebrate the aviators that the suburb’s streets are named for.
Macquarie shops have also benefited recently, with new safety bollards installed to stop a mini-spate of car accidents, with cars crashing into shopfronts, which I am sure those opposite may have noticed in the weekly newspaper. In addition, TAMS made the car park road one way, as a needed safety measure. This safety measure protects the many elderly people and children using that set of shops. But it is a safety measure attacked in a recent search-and-destroy mission by the senior Liberal member for Ginninderra, Mrs Dunne, to discredit any progress on shopping centres in Belconnen.
Cook shops have recently benefited from a public toilet block that was installed to the relief of anyone caught short themselves or with young children at the Cook shops. Through the estimates process, Mr Rattenbury informed me about further upgrades for Cook shops, saying that the detailed and construction tender drawings will be completed in August 2015 and construction is scheduled to begin in late 2015 and be completed by mid-2016. The scope of work includes an additional parking space for people with a disability; improvements to paved areas, including a new gathering space; the upgrade and provision of additional pedestrian paths, including a new path to the bus stop, lighting and pram ramp upgrades; and street furniture such as seats, bike racks and a drinking fountain.
For the Florey and Evatt shops, I am told that minor works are to begin early next year and be completed by mid-2016. The scope of works includes furniture improvements such as bike racks, drinking fountains, seats and notice boards. These minor upgrades are consistent with the preliminary plans for upgrading Evatt and Florey shops, which will be undertaken as funds become available for this.
The residents of these suburbs are looking forward to these upgrades, as I am. The sooner the better. We all wish they had been completed yesterday, of course, but I am confident these upgrades will happen and that they will enhance the shops that are at the heart of each community.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (5.25): I will be brief. I wanted to concentrate on a couple of shopping centres, the Evatt shops in particular, and the Florey shops, but also to touch lightly on the Cook shops.
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