Page 1140 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 2 April 2019
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A project close to me and to others in this place has been the delivery of the Mount Taylor car park, which complements ongoing work taking place on Mount Taylor to improve the walking tracks for visitors, a project which has also used recycled asphalt.
One of my first acts as minister was to receive the better suburbs statement, the outcome of a commitment to participatory democracy commenced by my predecessor, Minister Meegan Fitzharris. We will continue to update the community and the Assembly on how we are implementing the better suburbs statement throughout the term. The better suburbs program also saw the allocation of $1.9 million for new nature play spaces and upgrades to 24 existing playgrounds. The work on these new and refreshed playgrounds is already underway in Glebe Park, in Farrer and at Eddison Park in Woden, in consultation with the community, and reviews will begin soon in several suburbs.
The ACT government has also delivered on numerous community services and community facility projects. We have provided $80,000 for a new men’s shed in Hughes and a new site for the Weston Creek men’s shed. This is an important project that allows older men to participate, socialise and give back to the community, supporting positive ageing in our inclusive city.
As Australia’s most inclusive city we have hosted many successful multicultural events where our diverse community display their varying heritage and backgrounds. In November last year we delivered on our election commitment and the parliamentary agreement to host the multicultural summit. At the summit, 150 community leaders met to identify a range of different actions to sustain Canberra as an inclusive multicultural community. For some it will deliver tangible outcomes for the community. Further work as a result of this summit will be presented to the Assembly.
Our library service continues to provide a range of lifelong learning experiences to the ACT community. The Heritage Library, keeping alive and accessible the history of our city, has relocated to better facilities in Fyshwick. Its former space in the busy Woden Library will be enhanced for community benefit.
Our government has achieved a great deal in the past six months, but there is so much more to do for the Canberra community. We are an inclusive city. With a single city council, Canberrans in Dunlop and Deakin get the same level of high service. This sets us apart from other major cities, where local council services are subject to extreme inequality. We are also a city that believes in fairness. We are investing in renewing the city’s established suburbs, just as we are investing in the facilities in our new suburbs. It is inclusion and fairness that lead to Canberra being ranked as Australia’s most livable city.
We are committed to continuing to deliver a fairer and more inclusive city. This week I announced a number of additional measures the ACT government is taking to build on this commitment. We are increasing the delivery of city services by working more efficiently. Through new technology and changed crewing arrangements we are keeping our street sweepers on the road longer, delivering a 15 per cent increase in the
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