Page 1766 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 7 June 2016
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We will provide extra support to promote Canberra to the new markets opened up by Singapore Airlines direct international flights. I am pleased to report to the Assembly that the past 12 months saw a record number of international visitors in our city, which will only increase when the flights start in September.
We are providing extra support through our business development program, building on its success in helping local businesses to grow and create jobs.
We will also reform the way people and businesses interact with government. We are reducing red tape by getting rid of unnecessary or outdated requirements and by simplifying licensing processes.
The Government will also support the economy, and support Canberra’s needs as our city grows, by investing $2.9 billion in infrastructure over the coming four years.
We are building nearly 1,300 new public housing homes—that is around 10 per cent of the ACT’s public housing stock—duplicating major roads, and making unprecedented investments in public transport through our support of buses and the light rail project.
The land release program over the coming four years will see sites for about 18,000 new dwellings released. This will keep downward pressure on home prices and accommodates the Government’s affordable housing targets and initiatives.
Health and education investment for Canberra
High quality health and education services are the building blocks of happy, healthy and productive lives.
The Territory Government will make sure that every Canberran gets the quality services they deserve and that access to those services will never depend on the size of their wallet.
This budget invests in mental health, because my Government knows that improving mental health benefits everyone—individuals, friends, family, colleagues and the broader community. We are determined that preventable health conditions should be prevented, and that chronic health conditions are managed before they become acute.
I am proud of this Government’s record of investment in health, which in the coming year is more than $1.5 billion—around a third of the Territory budget.
We are investing across the health portfolio, including expanding Canberra Hospital’s emergency department and intensive care unit. We will establish the Canberra Clinical Genomic Service to focus on the emerging field of personalised medicine, providing cutting-edge research and services in our city.
High-quality education is one of the best investments we can make in our community and our economy.
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