Page 2822 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 13 August 2019
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Our government is taking action to ensure that we are all doing all that we can to reduce our impact on the environment. Through waste reduction measures, our target of diverting 90 per cent of waste from landfill is on track to be achieved. The ACT government’s rollout of the container deposit scheme and green bins has been a huge success and we are seeing the benefits of these initiatives in reducing our waste output.
I am also looking forward to the rollout of the reusable coffee cup zone trial in Gungahlin, as a result of the motion I moved earlier this year. I have been speaking with businesses and residents in Gungahlin who are keen and ready for the reusable coffee cup zone trial to commence early next year. Sydney’s Inner West Council has beaten us to it, so it is time for Canberra to catch up. I know the Gungahlin community are ready to embrace our very own reusable coffee cup zone. The potential for this scheme to extend beyond the Gungahlin area is again indicative of how Canberrans are keen to see more environmentally focused initiatives rolled out across the ACT.
The 2019-20 budget also provides important funding to improve and maintain the amenity of our suburbs. We will see more bins in parks and public spaces, continued weeding and mowing, upgrades to footpaths, including along the Flemington Road shared path, maintenance of streetlights, and a range of other essential programs.
This government is committed to investing in transport and city services for Canberra, and I look forward to seeing the benefits that will come with the passing of the 2019-20 budget.
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (5.33): As we know, Canberra is a great place to live. We have a thriving economy, excellent schools and health care, world-class universities, innovative and inspiring cultural institutions, green space and nature reserves on our doorsteps. But our local neighbourhoods are just as important. Character-filled local shops, accessible tree-lined streets, parks and playgrounds are the things that help foster a sense of community. It is this sense of community that is often remarked on to me as perhaps our city’s greatest asset.
Canberra’s population is expected to exceed 460,000 people by 2023. In just four years, another 32,000 people will realise Canberra is the best city in Australia and decide to call this place their home. As Canberra grows, it is important that our suburbs have the appropriate infrastructure and services in place so that our communities continue to thrive. It is important that our regions and suburbs are well connected so that Canberrans can get from A to B safely, efficiently and, where possible, sustainably. That is why this year’s budget continues to invest in better municipal services, better local infrastructure, better public transport and better roads.
City services and local infrastructure might seem small or often go unnoticed but they have a big impact on our day-to-day lives, and I can say that in Ginninderra they definitely do not go unnoticed. Imagine for just a moment a suburb without services like street sweeping or infrastructure like bins. Footpaths would become cracked or unusable. Leaves would clog our stormwater drains. Rubbish would litter our streets. Parks and playgrounds would become untidy or dangerous.
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