Page 2054 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2018
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centre east development linear park. While quite a mouthful, it is an important development for Gungahlin. I was out on Saturday speaking to residents in the Gungahlin town centre who live just to the north of where the park will go. I can tell you that I heard nothing but good things from these residents. They were all excited by the prospect of having a green space in such close proximity. The park offers the opportunity to inject a high quality green space into the town centre to complement the improvements being made to Gungahlin Place and to provide amenity to the local community.
The budget will also deliver on our commitment to being a leader in protecting our environment. We are increasing funding for the Ginninderra Catchment Group to assist in their transition to new Landcare arrangements. The group plays an invaluable role in preserving water ecosystems in the area and cooperating with other Landcare and conservation groups throughout Yerrabi.
We are also providing an additional $1.6 million to support ecotourism at Mulligans Flat. What the ACT government and the ACT Woodlands and Wetlands Trust are doing in Mulligans is truly incredible. We should be sharing that story as far and wide as we can. Investing in ecotourism in the reserve allows another opportunity for us to do that.
While I was out in my electorate over the weekend, I was also asked about the nurse-led walk-in health centre coming to Gungahlin town centre. ACT Labor took the delivery of this centre to the last election, and we are delivering on that promise too. The ACT government is investing $2.9 million to build the centre, with construction already underway. It is due for opening later this year. The nurse-led services will complement the services already provided at the Gungahlin Community Health Centre.
This is a government that is getting on with the job of providing for the people of Canberra. As Canberra continues to grow, we will continue to improve our services to better meet the needs of all Canberrans.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Tourism and Major Events) (11.19): I thank Ms Cheyne for bringing forward this motion this morning. It certainly goes to highlight the importance of our local government responsibilities, particularly in the municipal and transport areas. The day after the budget provides an opportunity to speak at a bit more length about the initiatives that we announced yesterday, particularly the investment in the core public services that Canberrans rely on.
The budget grows the services and infrastructure necessary to make sure that Canberra keeps on getting better. Yesterday the budget speech focused particularly on the largest areas of expenditure, in health, hospitals, and education, the school system. In speaking to the motion today, I would like to concentrate on how this budget and the government are focused on making commuting quicker, promoting an active lifestyle, improving the amenity of our town centres, making our suburbs neater, and making our parks better and more interesting places to visit.
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