Page 3178 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 20 August 2019
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Despite the jurisdictional barriers that this government faces when it comes to preserving the ACT’s environment, we are not giving up the fight to protect our waterways. We are just one piece of an extensive puzzle: the Murray-Darling Basin. The national capital is the largest population centre in this basin. We are wholly situated in the Murrumbidgee River catchment, which feeds into the Murray-Darling Basin.
The intergovernmental agreement on implementing water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin is an initiative between the federal government and Murray-Darling Basin state and territory governments to implement water reforms that improve the basin’s health, now and in the future. As part of this initiative the federal government commits to providing financial support to these states and territories, including the ACT, through the national partnership agreement on implementing water reform in the Murray-Darling Basin. It is a bit of a mouthful but it is important.
Under the agreement the ACT is carrying out a number of important reforms, such as the development of an ACT water resources plan and water trading between the ACT and New South Wales. As outlined in this year’s budget, this agreement is expected to provide $327,000 each year in 2018-19 and 2019-20. And the water for the environment special account will provide $20.7 million over three years to undertake efficiency measures. These are measures that will help to sustain the health of our waterways for years to come.
Madam Deputy Speaker, Canberra is the bush capital but it is also a growing capital. Our indicative land release program ensures that we continue to manage the supply of land in a smart and strategic way to cater for our increasing population. As you may know, we expect 32,000 more people to call Canberra home by 2023. Many of these new homes are being built in Ginninderra. You only need to travel down Drake-Brockman Drive towards Stockdill Drive to get a sense of west Belconnen’s growth. The development of Ginninderry is well underway and it will eventually become Belconnen’s newest suburbs, with new neighbourhoods and amenities alike.
One of these new suburbs in Ginninderry is Strathnairn. The 2019-20 indicative land release program has slated another 300 new residential dwellings for this suburb in the next financial year alone. As a member of the Ginninderry joint venture, the ACT government will contribute more than $1.9 million to the Ginninderry Environmental Management Trust over the next four years. This trust funds the maintenance of a conservation corridor along the Murrumbidgee River and Ginninderra Creek.
As our city grows, it is important that the surrounding natural landscape continues to thrive. I am absolutely certain that the people of Belconnen and right across the city are looking forward to the day soon, we hope, when Ginninderra Falls reopens to the public.
The indicative land release program also sets a road map for revitalising existing sites in the Belconnen town centre. Many residents will be happy to see the redevelopment
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