Page 4337 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 25 October 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
We are a Labor government and we invest in the education of young Canberrans, particularly in providing great learning environments at our public schools. The Woden School and Curtin primary will both be beneficiaries of investments to refurbish learning and teaching areas. My old primary school, Torrens primary, has benefited from courtyard upgrades launched by Minister Yvette Berry. The Malkara School will soon have a new front office and administration area, as well as general upgrades to facilitate and provide for greater future capacity. The ACT government is investing in Melrose high to improve its heating and cooling systems. That is in addition to the $6.6 million that we were able to deliver the Melrose football precinct with earlier this year.
In Weston Creek, $300,000 upgrades to Cooleman Court are now underway. Likewise, work has progressed on a new dog park for Weston Creek in the suburb of Duffy. The government has also commenced early planning processes for a new nurse-led walk-in centre in the Weston Creek region, which will support the health of our south side community for years to come. Mount Stromlo High School and the community and students are benefiting from roofing upgrades and better insulation at the school’s premises.
In the newest part of my electorate, in the Molonglo Valley, almost $1 million in funding is underway for early planning work for major new roads, including a new east-west arterial road to the Tuggeranong Parkway, an extension to Bindubi Street and upgrades of John Gorton Drive to William Hovell Drive.
Transport connections in the Molonglo Valley are being improved through the Cotter Road duplication, which is due to finish early next year, and the establishment of the 182 bus service, the western line, which travels from Woden through the Molonglo Valley and to the city. That is set to become an orange rapid next year. Molonglo residents have already welcomed this announcement with me on the weekend and are looking forward to future connections from Molonglo to Belconnen, which were also announced last week.
In education, the ACT government has invested half a million dollars towards the early planning stages for a new school to provide for students in the Molonglo Valley, and particularly Denman Prospect.
More broadly, the territory’s first park and pedal station was launched this year on the edge of the Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum, which will now allow residents from the south side to drive to the stop and then ride the rest of the journey into the city.
This is a long list of achievements in just a short time. It reflects how committed the government is to delivering for the south side: commitments that ACT Labor promised and those opposite often fought against, such as light rail, nurse-led walk-in centres and green bins; that the Liberals did not commit to fund at all, in the case of shopping centre upgrades, new schools and new roads in Molonglo, or did not commit to fund enough to actually deliver the projects properly, such as school upgrades, where they committed less, the Cotter Road duplication, where they committed less, and their piecemeal health plan.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video