Page 986 - Week 03 - Thursday, 10 March 2016
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MR HINDER (Ginninderra) (4.14): I would like to thank Mr Coe for the opportunity to discuss how our government is delivering good local services across the ACT. The ACT Labor government is committed to ensuring that Canberra is a vibrant, sustainable and livable city. We are focused on achieving that objective through the delivery of high quality local services to the community. The ACT government, through Territory and Municipal Services, is responsible for delivering these core services and programs to ensure Canberra remains a great place to live, work and relax.
These essential services include tree management and protection; animal welfare; city-wide cleaning; graffiti removal; mowing; maintaining parks and reserves and the community facilities within them, such as barbecues and playgrounds; fire protection; library services; and the delivery of public assets that help our community make active lifestyle choices. Living in a clean and safe city with opportunities to enjoy urban open space is a key part of being a livable city. The work undertaken by TAMS each day ensures Canberra is a city we can all be proud of.
You do not have to go far to enjoy all that nature has to offer in Canberra, from local and district parks in our town centres to areas to Namadgi national park and Tidbinbilla nature reserve. The ACT parks and conservation service are responsible for planning and conservation management of our national parks, nature reserves, water catchments and rural land. They manage fire and biosecurity, protect and conserve the cultural resources of the ACT, and promote recreational, educational and scientific uses of our parks and reserves. They manage over 70 per cent of ACT land, including Canberra nature park; Namadgi national park; Tidbinbilla; the Murrumbidgee River corridor, including the lower Cotter catchment; the Googong foreshores in New South Wales; Kowen forest and other pine plantations; equestrian trails; and other rural land. They also provide approximately 140 fully trained and skilled firefighters as the largest single fire suppression resource available to the ACT, the Rural Fire Service, in addition to managing more than 4,500 kilometres of fire trails across the ACT.
Providing opportunities for Canberrans to get outdoors and enjoy the bush capital is important. The ACT government provides more than 270 ranger-guided activities for over 3,000 participants per annum and conducts a breeding program for the endangered brush-tailed rock wallaby, eastern bettong and northern corroboree frog at Tidbinbilla.
Canberra has one of the largest mowing programs in Australia, which is required to maintain approximately 4,500 hectares, equivalent to more than 5,000 football fields, of grass in our town, district and neighbourhood parks; fire hazard protection zones; suburbs; sportsgrounds; and verges along arterial roads. Suburban parks and public open spaces are generally mown every four weeks during peak growing periods and every two to three months at other times of the year. Fire fuel reduction mowing is undertaken in low maintenance areas twice a year during the hotter months to ensure that grass is maintained at an acceptable level during the fire season. Public safety, particularly line of sight access and fire fuel reduction, remains a priority when delivering mowing programs.
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