Page 3475 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 17 September 2019
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Consulting widely with sporting groups and tourism operators for a central visionary document for Stromlo Forest Park needs to be a priority for government. Reliable transport links, along with this vision, are incredibly important. One of the key recommendations of the estimates committee this year was for public transport to and from Stromlo Forest Park, something that the government, in their response to the estimates report, have remained silent on.
As the Chief Minister forces more and more Canberrans into high-rise apartments, outdoor community facilities become increasingly important. Having space to train dogs for run club meets and exercise is critical.
Activating the park so that it can live up to its true potential should be a priority. As the new facility gets up and running, the government needs to consult with existing sporting groups to deliver a longer term vision that meets community needs. As many local facilities, including Canberra Olympic swimming pool, fall into a state of disrepair, liaising with these groups and organisations to ensure that they are not forgotten and form part of not only a Stromlo Forest Park strategy but a city-wide sporting strategy is critical.
I thank Mr Milligan for all of the work that he has been doing in this space on behalf of the Canberra Liberals. Labor and the Greens invariably pursue big ticket vanity projects at the expense of the rest of the city, always virtue signalling instead of delivering real outcomes for Canberrans. It is important that in the process of consultation and designing a major strategy we do not leave these sporting groups behind and that we develop cohesive strategies for the park and sporting across the city.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Social Inclusion and Equality, Minister for Tertiary Education, Minister for Tourism and Special Events and Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment) (3.11): That was one of the more interesting MPI speeches I have seen in a while, delivered by a member who obviously did not really do any research or care much at all about the topic and who sat down inside three minutes.
Even a cursory googling of the Stromlo Forest Park website demonstrates the history of master planning and the work that has been undertaken with the community in relation to Stromlo Forest Park. That process began in 2009 and established a strategy and vision for the park, as well as aspirations for its future. Significant community consultation was undertaken at that time with sporting bodies, the wider community, local interest groups and other stakeholders.
That led to the creation of the 2010 master plan. That informed a number of decisions in relation to infrastructure location in the park, as well as significant government investment, some of which the member mentioned in her remarks. It is important to acknowledge that this is a long-term strategy for Stromlo Forest Park.
In 2015, following the first wave of infrastructure investment and the holding of major events like the world mountain bike championships at Stromlo Forest Park, we
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