Page 3453 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 22 August 2018
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High-use areas in the public realm across the city are inspected for illegal graffiti weekly. Members would be well aware that any report relating to the presence of offensive graffiti on public assets is treated as a high priority. And offensive graffiti is generally removed within 24 hours.
Again, I know there have been many debates and comments in this place about the government’s responsibility to remove graffiti from private assets. The government’s response in recent years has been to establish an active team to not only help clean up after graffiti is found on public assets across the territory but to prevent graffiti happening in the first place, working with local community groups who are both keen to engage in preventing graffiti and also keen to engage in removing graffiti from private assets across the territory.
Over the last 16 years the government has had a rolling program to upgrade local shopping centres and separate programs focusing on master planning and upgrades to town and group centres. Historically, upgrades at local centres have focused on measures to improve safety, amenity and function, as well as to assist with the ongoing commercial viability of the local centres.
Twenty-three local shopping centres have received an upgrade to their public realm on unleased land over the past 12 years through this program. These include major refurbishments in Higgins, Holder, Holt, Melba, Garran, Deakin, Ainslie, Lyons, Scullin, Farrer, Red Hill, Waramanga and Chapman, and minor upgrade works in Charnwood, Tillyard Drive, Griffith, Theodore, Cook, Kambah, Rivett, Evatt, Florey, Hughes and Torrens. To round out Ms Lee’s accusations, I would encourage her to recognise the significant work undertaken at many local centres. And it will not stop there.
In 2015-16 we undertook a strategic review of the current program and the delivery method. The review process included improved coordination of works across various government agencies to better target government investment. And a key outcome of the review was creating an analysis tool to prioritise upgrades and consider alternative and future funding models for upgrades to these centres.
In the previous financial year we undertook preliminary designs for shops in Duffy, Campbell, Fraser and Kaleen. Consultation was undertaken with key stakeholders, including shop owners, other government stakeholders, lease holders, businesses and local community groups, and there were targeted onsite conversations. And we look forward to continuing that work with residents in those particular local centres.
In addition to the maintenance and upgrade of some of our local shopping centres, the better suburbs program was introduced to consult broadly with the community in setting a vision and priorities for the improved delivery of city services in the ACT for the next four years and beyond. Priorities for the delivery of improved city services will be identified in the form of a community-authored better suburbs statement. The first stage of consultation was held in late 2017 and the highlighted services and aspects of our city that are most important to our community.
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