Page 3243 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 23 August 2017

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Following the extensive consultation that has already occurred for both centres, draft master plans were released with broad community support. But subsequent development proposals from various owners have presented new consideration for both the ACT government and the community. Extending consultation to those panels has proved hugely successful in the past, for example, with the Red Hill community. Further, these panels show the clear commitment the government has to involving the local community every step of the way through major developments that have the potential to guide Canberra to be the city we want it to be.

In addition to this, roundtables involving local residents such as that which occurred at Woden earlier this year show the manner in which the ACT government seeks to bring together various groups within the community to get their views on proposed planning items. These are just a couple of ways the government remains committed to reaching out to the community and engaging them in the conversation about Canberra’s future.

Roads—William Slim Drive

MR MILLIGAN: My question is to the Minister for Transport and City Services. During the 2016 election the Labor Party once again committed to the duplication of William Slim. Minister, when do you intend to honour this commitment?

MS FITZHARRIS: Yes, indeed we did, and we intend to honour that commitment in this term.

MR MILLIGAN: Minister, why was this capital expenditure not included in the recent budget round?

MS FITZHARRIS: In this budget we have invested in stage 2 of the Gundaroo Drive upgrade to build on stage 1 of the Gundaroo Drive upgrade. That also builds on other extensive duplication works we currently have underway along Horse Park Drive, Ashley Drive and Cotter Road. Only so many of these infrastructure projects can be delivered in each budget. We will deliver the duplication of William Slim Drive. We also note the work that the commonwealth has planned at the CSIRO Ginninderra site. The government has made it very clear that we expect to have a detailed conversation with the commonwealth about their obligations for infrastructure upgrades around that development.

MR COE: Minister, when will William Slim Drive be fully duplicated; also, when will stage 3 of Gundaroo be duplicated?

MS FITZHARRIS: I believe I answered the first part of Mr Coe’s question in my first answer. I do not know what stage 3 Mr Coe refers to. I assume he means from Horse Park Drive to Anthony Rolfe Avenue and Mirrabei Drive. We have not made a commitment to do that. My understanding is that the volume of traffic at the moment would not require us to do that for quite some time. There would be other priority infrastructure around the region and around the city that would require a road upgrade before that stage.


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