Page 3234 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 21 August 2019
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migrant, cultural, religious and linguistically diverse backgrounds are provided with the opportunity to engage with others in the community and the wider population. By providing these groups with more spaces for events, we will enable them to continue growing and expanding right across the territory.
It is important that, as the Gungahlin community grows, the ACT government continues to invest in the social infrastructure that the people of Gungahlin need. As a government we have already made significant investments in Gungahlin, with new and upgraded schools that will ensure every child has access to a great local public school, by opening our very own nurse-led walk-in centre that provides free public health care to residents when they need it, by delivering convenient and reliable public transport through light rail stage 1 and the new bus network, and by creating the Hibberson Street share-way, which has improved pedestrian access in the town centre and given the whole area a face lift. Further to these delivered investments, the government has committed to doing even more to keep up with the demand of Gungahlin’s growing population.
Earlier this year I secured a commitment from the government to explore the feasibility of a new community centre for Gungahlin. The motion that was passed by this Assembly noted that community services and organisations across the region would benefit from a dedicated centre that would provide opportunities for the community to come together. Today, along with Mr Gupta, I am calling on the government to commit to exploring the feasibility of a new, large-scale venue that is suitable to host multicultural community events at EPIC.
A new venue at EPIC would provide Gungahlin’s multicultural community, and in fact the entire ACT multicultural community, with a bigger and better space to meet and celebrate. There are currently facilities in Gungahlin and across Canberra that provide a range of spaces and services for the multicultural community, and within my electorate the Gungahlin College Theatre is often host to large celebratory events. However, the space can only provide capacity for up to 350 people.
The success of Gungahlin’s multicultural organisations and the strength of the community coming together mean that even the venues that we do have, such as the Gungahlin College Theatre and the Theo Notaras centre, are starting to be too small to facilitate events that everyone can attend. I have attended dozens of events at the Gungahlin College Theatre that have been fantastic celebrations. However, time and again, the organisations hosting the events have asked whether the government could look for a larger community space.
As a local member for Yerrabi, I am committed to supporting our multicultural community, particularly as it is such a vibrant contributor to our broader Yerrabi region. That is why I am calling for a new venue at EPIC to provide our culturally and linguistically diverse Canberrans with more opportunities to connect with each other and celebrate our diverse and inclusive city.
In calling for the government to explore the feasibility of a new venue, we are asking the government to report back to the Assembly within 12 months. With the ACT government currently undertaking a review of EPIC to inform its future
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