Page 541 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019

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MR MILLIGAN (Yerrabi) (6.13): I thank Ms Orr for bringing forward this motion and for providing the opportunity for us to discuss the lack of community infrastructure in Gungahlin and in the electorate of Yerrabi. I move the amendment to Ms Orr’s motion that has been circulated in my name:

Omit all text after “calls on the ACT Government to”, substitute:

“(a) commit to a dedicated community centre in the Gungahlin Town Centre, taking into consideration:

(i) the diverse needs of the Gungahlin community;

(ii) the benefits of a central and easily accessible location;

(iii) the option for including arts facilities as part of the centre; and

(iv) programs or activities that could be facilitated within a community centre to enliven the Gungahlin Town Centre; and

(b) engage with the Gungahlin community as part of the process to better understand their social infrastructure needs; and

My amendment to Ms Orr’s motion is put forward to provide residents of the second fastest growing region in Australia with some certainty. We want the government to commit to building this critical infrastructure rather than just undertaking another study. I think we can all agree that actions speak than words. Having seen Ms Orr’s proposed amendment to my amendment, I am pleased that she is putting forward a date to assign funds towards the development of a community service. Still, I hope that the word “development” means to build and not just to do another study or report.

I must say, as a fellow member for Yerrabi, that I appreciate on one level what Ms Orr is trying achieve here for residents of the Gungahlin region, although I do feel it that it is my duty to reminder Ms Orr that she is, in fact, a member of the government. Therefore, any and all failings in terms of planning and infrastructure are also her government’s responsibility. I imagine that, rather than submitting a motion, she could make submissions to her colleagues to fix the lack of community facilities for one of the fastest growing regions in Australia.

But it seems that it falls to Alistair Coe and me to help Ms Orr to shape the motion she is putting forward so that it is not just yet another government study, another review that ends up sitting on the shelf collecting dust. The residents of Yerrabi are very familiar with this approach, as are the majority of Canberrans. The feasibility study into the indoor sporting facilities for Gungahlin, Woden and Belconnen was promised by this government in 2016. Now, in 2019, we are yet to see the report, an outcome or a commitment from this government to actually build anything. This is despite the fact that we all know there is a severe deficit in sporting facilities across not only this region but Canberra more generally.

The ice rink feasibility study for Canberra was yet another 2016 election promise. The Chief Minister assured Canberrans that a new ice rink would be built in this term. Madam Speaker, the report was finally released in December last year and we are yet

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