Page 4030 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 September 2017
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Improvements to our shopping centres are particularly important as these serve as our community hubs, and the regeneration of our group centres has been prioritised by our government. Along with the $2.3 million in upgrades to Kambah village—I was pleased to open stage 1 with the minister just on Friday—I am pleased that the ACT government is also investing $300,000 in upgrades to Cooleman Court shopping centre and Brierly Street and Trenerry Square. Those works will also include a new grass play area, paved seating nooks with single and bench seats, shade structures, lighting, a drinking fountain, a bin and new bike racks.
As our city grows it is important that we extend services and invest in new infrastructure in our new suburbs. Up until this year the Molonglo Valley, in my own electorate, was the fastest growing suburban area in the entire country for five years in a row. That is why in Molonglo we are investing in cycleways, water supply and security, trunk sewers and other stormwater and residential infrastructure.
Because of our investments, our city’s residents have come to expect high quality services. That is why, as the government continues to invest more in city services, it is important that we are responsive to residents’ needs and that the priorities for our city services align with those concerns of the Canberra community. Canberrans have been very active in reporting issues through the fix my street website—potholes, footpath repairs, fallen tree branches and a host of other issues. In fact, in the last financial year 39,838 issues were lodged by 11,577 people to help identify where the government can improve our suburbs.
But that is by its nature a reactive process, and we are a progressive government. That is why this week the government has opened consultation on the longer term vision and priorities for improved city services into the future. The consultation will help inform and contribute to a better suburbs statement which will be made publicly available next year. It will set a clear vision and priorities that will guide the delivery of city services into the future. It will also give a community mandate for necessary policy and operational reforms that will improve city servicing.
This special opportunity to allow all Canberrans to shape the government’s city services strategy over the next two decades will range from playgrounds, footpaths, gardens, mowing, library services and other city services. I certainly agree with Ms Orr: I have heard the message from many residents in communities, in Waramanga and Farrer in particular, in my electorate about the need to have playgrounds closer to the shops. I am sure that will probably come through in the consultations as well, given the success of Chifley.
I encourage all community groups, businesses and members of the public, old and young, to share their thoughts as part of this process and tell us what they think about our city services—what they like and what they do not like, what is important and how we can do things better as a government—so that we can develop a better suburbs statement which reflects the improvements we need for city services in our growing city. The online feedback in the statement is available on the ACT government’s consultation website, yoursay.act.gov.au, and residents can also attend
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