Page 2548 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 31 July 2019
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number of sources and in consultation with businesses in that area. The assessment included a range of opportunities for businesses to provide input through a survey and face-to-face interviews. A total of 210 businesses were identified in the assessment area and contact was attempted by email, by phone or in person. Of these, there were 151 successful contacts and feedback was received from 100 businesses to inform the assessment and findings as presented in the report.
The report identified recent major activities in the town centre and, in particular, noted that impacts are not always clearly distinguishable from a particular project. Rather, they can be the result of a cumulative impact. The government acknowledges that the report identifies some perceptions of negative impacts but also clear optimism for the future with the works being, on balance, positive for Gungahlin. The government notes that statistical analysis identifies that the rate of business growth in Gungahlin has continued to be above the average growth rate for businesses across the ACT.
Suggestions from respondents ranged from strategically spreading works over a longer period, but limited to smaller areas, providing greater certainty about the timing and extent of road closures, noisy activities and delays, assistance with better wayfinding signage for customers and practical measures like window and facade cleaning where construction activities have generated excessive dust.
The government values these findings and sees them as key lessons learnt that can be implemented when undertaking similar construction projects in the future. We continually aim to better understand and communicate with businesses and to minimise impacts through improved coordination and by enhancing the proactiveness of impact management.
This community feedback has already started to lead to changes in the way that we engage and support businesses in public works. For example, during the Northbourne Avenue Sydney Building and Melbourne Building verge improvements, TCCSÂ proactively engaged with businesses in the area to ensure that they could continue to operate effectively during construction.
Madam Speaker, we also understand that our works do not occur in isolation, which is why we have continued to work with all stakeholders to minimise the cumulative impacts of private and public sector construction on Gungahlin businesses and the Canberra community more broadly. Partnering with the Canberra Business Chamber on the light rail business link program is a demonstration that our government is alert to the opportunities but also to the challenges that light rail construction can bring. The government is committed to assisting the business community to access those opportunities and to supporting businesses with those challenges.
The light rail business link program is innovative and it is delivering opportunities for businesses to engage with the project. The program works specifically identified actions to mitigate adverse impacts and to provide businesses with support in marketing and promotion during light rail construction. It has continued to do this through the final stages of project delivery. Canberrans can already see many of the benefits of light rail in their lived experiences: a new entrance for Canberra, communities that have been built on a transit-supported corridor, and reliable and
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