Page 4407 - Week 12 - Thursday, 26 October 2017
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Alongside the start of light rail stage 1, we promised to roll out a new network of rapid buses to get Canberrans where they need to go more quickly and easily. I was very pleased to last week announce that we will have the full network of nine rapids rolled out from mid-2018 and reveal the new-look network that will achieve that. Rapid buses will connect town centres, suburbs and the city, forming the backbone of Canberra’s future integrated transport network. Rapids will run at least every 15 minutes along core transport corridors from 7 am to 7 pm Monday to Friday.
We increasingly see active travel having a big role to play in how Canberrans will access the public transport network in the future, and so we ramped up work on infrastructure to support that over the past 12 months. That included upgraded walking and cycling infrastructure around town and group centres like Tuggeranong, Woden and Kingston, as well as opening Canberra’s 20th park and ride facility at Wanniassa. Funding has also been delivered and planning is underway for the Belconnen bikeway, which will connect suburbs like Bruce, Macquarie and Florey with the Belconnen town centre and nearby educational institutions.
We heard the community’s feedback loud and clear that Canberrans want to live in a clean and well-kept city. It is one of the things that make this place so livable. That is why I have been pleased to see a range of different initiatives get underway in the city services area to deliver just that. For example, we have delivered town centre upgrades to Anketell Street in Tuggeranong, with more works funded through the 2017 budget. The Kambah shops is also in the process of getting a facelift, and Hibberson Street in the Gungahlin town centre has seen work begin on improvements to landscaping as well as pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
One of the questions I have been asked most often over the past 12 months is: when am I getting a green bin? Canberrans are enthusiastic about the green bin rollout and we have been working hard to get that underway. The pilot kicked off in Weston Creek and Kambah in April, with more than 8,000 households taking up the offer of a green bin. We are using the insights gained through the pilot to inform the city-wide rollout of the service, and I will have more to say about the timing of that very soon.
We have also introduced legislation for the ACT’s first container deposit scheme and will hopefully be passing it within this fortnight, because we know this is a great way to cut litter and boost recycling while also supporting local community groups. Transport Canberra and City Services provide a wide range of services that keep our city humming along and make it an attractive, livable place. I am pleased with the progress we have made over the past 12 months, but I know there is always more to do to meet the expectations and aspirations Canberrans have for our city.
Finally, I have been pleased to work with, and have responsibility for, the higher education, training and research portfolio since the 2016 election. This sector plays a very important role in shaping people’s lives through skills and new knowledge and is also very much part of the government’s economic diversification strategy. International education continues to be Canberra’s largest export, contributing $579 million to Canberra’s economy last year—an increase of 13 per cent on the
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