Page 535 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
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hectares of land in the Gungahlin east precinct, can be located nearer to Flemington Road and closer to the light rail station.
This is key to understand and a large part of the reason why I am calling for the government to invest in a feasibility study for a community services facility. It is important that the government has a complete understanding of the location and service needs of such a centre before it moves to the design and delivery stages.
There are a number of questions about the types of services the centre would offer to a community as culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse and rapidly growing as Gungahlin. The Gungahlin town centre is an ideal space for the development of a community centre, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the basic infrastructure needs of Gungahlin have already been met and now is the best time to introduce more community-orientated services to create a strong sense of community and point of growth for Gungahlin’s growing population.
We have had strong investment in the public transport system, library, schools and other similar essential services in Gungahlin, and it is now time to expand on these. In order to truly grasp how best to approach a centre, what is needed is a period of engagement with a range of community groups, stakeholders and local residents. With Gungahlin being one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, it is only sensible that its community services are on par with other areas in the ACT.
For example, in Belconnen thousands of people rely on the community services centre for affordable childcare, aged care services, counselling, disability support and youth services. However, the community also looks to the services centre and the Belconnen Arts Centre for a place to gather, socialise and create. Both centres are well known for hosting very successful local art exhibitions, workshops, local theatre productions, art classes, gardening groups and even seasonal events like the Christmas light tour of the ACT.
For the Belconnen community, the community services centre is a place where people can go for support, socialisation and personal development. In fact, it is because of the success of existing community centres like the centre in Belconnen that we know a similar option would benefit Gungahlin.
While the Belconnen community services centre and the Belconnen Arts Centre are fantastic places to look for broad, foundational ideas, it is of course not a one-size-fits-all model. The Belconnen community services centre has had decades to tailor itself to the specific needs of its own community, which will always have a different variation of the needs of the younger, diverse and faster growing population that we see in Gungahlin.
Clearly what is needed is a feasibility study which looks to the people of Gungahlin and directly draws its understanding of what an ideal Gungahlin community services centre would look like. We know that there is significant need for a diverse range of services that will only continue to grow into the future. The Gungahlin community is an active community, and so are its community groups. They regularly hold festivals, arts activities and cultural events, among many other activities. A community services
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