Page 2052 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2018
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this motion, the government has not demonstrated a very good track record in this area. I call on the government to actually provide the necessary local services that Canberrans are already paying for.
MS ORR (Yerrabi) (11.11): I rise to speak in support of this motion moved by my colleague Ms Cheyne. As those who have spoken in this debate have mentioned, the ACT has seen unprecedented growth in recent years. With such a boost to our population, it is important we have a government that is willing and able to get on with the job of providing essential services for Canberrans.
I have been out in the community recently talking about the action this government is taking in expanding the services available to residents. I was at the Bonner shops last Thursday handing out information on some of the things I and this government have been working on. One impassioned, yet hurried, local only had time to inform me that he felt we needed to fix the roads. My answer to that is that we are.
In this year’s budget we are taking further steps to increase the capacity of the transport corridors within Yerrabi. We are duplicating William Slim Drive, which will include 3.2 kilometres of new carriageway. This measure expands on the works already underway on the duplication of Gundaroo Drive and Horse Park Drive.
Taken together, this suite of investment will increase the capacity of our roads and improve linkages with the Belconnen area. With light rail fast approaching, the Gundaroo Drive and William Slim Drive corridor will provide a rapid transport corridor between the Belconnen and Gungahlin town centres. The black rapid bus service already links the two centres. The expanded road capacity will ensure a faster service and a better integration with the transport network more broadly.
The integrated transport network will be further supplemented by extensive investment in the active travel network. The budget includes $10.5 million to improve cycling and walking connections into and around the Belconnen town centre. This will see the construction of the Belconnen bikeway and the extension of the Lake Ginninderra circuit around the Belconnen Arts Centre with an over-water boardwalk.
In addition to the William Slim Drive works, we will see 6.4 kilometres of new on-road cycle lanes and a new bridge over Ginninderra Creek, further improving the linkages between the town centres and the suburbs in between. I was also out on Saturday in Moncrieff in my electorate talking to locals. What I heard was that they love their suburb—how well it is laid out, how well it is planned and how residents have the space they need to enjoy their lifestyles.
This is a Labor government that continues to get better at providing for Canberrans. Over the years, we have continued to learn, never taking the job for granted. Moncrieff, Taylor, Jacka and Throsby are all examples of how the ACT Labor government has moved ahead in the way we plan our new suburbs. Our new suburbs are green, leafy, walkable and accessible.
They come ready for families to move into and for communities to form around. We facilitate this not just through the way we plan and design the suburbs but also
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