Page 2776 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 16 August 2017
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debating in this fortnight delivers on that plan to make this city even better. We are renovating Canberra schools by delivering classroom and facility upgrades right across the city. We are renewing our city’s health services by building new walk-in centres in Gungahlin and Weston Creek, planning for a major renovation expansion and new hospital facilities in Woden, and upgrading cancer and aged care facilities at the Canberra Hospital.
We are investing right across the territory to revitalise our town and group centres and to clean up our suburbs. We are encouraging investment in our city, most recently with the announcements this week from UNSW Canberra and Microsoft that will create new jobs and generate opportunities for Canberrans. The announcements by UNSW and Microsoft this week are a sign of confidence in the direction our city is heading, and this week is the biggest single week of investment announcements in this city’s history. We are building better road and transport networks to keep our city moving. It is what Canberrans want their government to do for them, and that is what we are focused on every day.
The government has built up and maintained a strong integrity framework, and this will continue to be at the heart of government policy. The community does have high expectations of their elected representatives. We understand that we are rightly held to high standards of accountability and integrity. The Assembly has adopted the Latimer House principles, including entrenchment of good government based on high standards of honesty, probity and accountability. Adopting these principles includes a range of guidelines for government integrity such as a code of conduct for members of the Assembly and the implementation of a lobbyist register. We took a package of further reforms to the election. This includes the creation of a new integrity commission, and work is now underway, through a select committee, to establish the best structure and powers for the commission. We have banned property developer donations, we have committed to expand the scope of the ACT lobbyist register, and we are further strengthening our engagement process with Canberrans.
I would have to say that in my extensive dealings with the ACT public service across all directorates and at all levels over a decade now, I have found officers to be accountable, ethical and honest. This is backed up by a range of stringent rules and investigation powers that apply here in the ACT.
The government is committed to equality of opportunity and support for those less well off in our community. That is why we have established and updated a range of schemes to help those most in need, in particular in relation to rebates and concessions, on utilities, for example. And there is the capacity to enter into a range of different schemes to support those most at need.
We are leading the discussion on affordable housing, and the new housing strategy will have several key areas of focus: reducing homelessness, strengthening social housing assistance, increasing affordable rental options, and improving pathways to affordable home ownership.
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