Page 4713 - Week 13 - Thursday, 28 November 2019
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The current access off Yamba Drive at least is simple. After that, it is not quite so simple. But fighting through school drop-off traffic in a suburban road is not easy, clear and simple. There is also a need for better long-term planning. The hospital precinct is clearly adjacent to a large amount of government-owned land, including the former CIT site, the school and the ovals. This gives the government flexibility to solve the particular problems in many different ways.
The precinct has a lot of challenges. School traffic is only one of them. During the SPIRE process and the subsequent master plan process, the government needs to think widely and creatively about options like relocating the school drop-off area and vastly improving public transport both to the hospital and around the precinct itself. As Mrs Dunne noted, there are enough signatures to ensure that this petition will be referred. I am in a fortunate position. I think that it would have to be referred to either the HACS committee or the planning committee. I am on both of those committees. So I look forward to much further discussion of this issue at the inquiry.
In conclusion, I urge the government to mend fences with the local community by being open about why the proposed site has been chosen and also by listening to, and importantly acting on, the community’s feedback on the consultation process, local traffic issues and the planning for the very important hospital precinct going into the next 10 to 20 years.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Disability, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Minister for Health, Minister for Urban Renewal) (10.12): I thank Mrs Dunne for tabling this petition and I thank Ms Le Couteur for her comments.
I will be responding formally in due course, but I would like to make a couple of points in relation to the matters that Mrs Dunne and Ms Le Couteur have raised. The petition opposes additional vehicle access via Palmer Street and Gilmore Crescent to the Canberra Hospital. I have made the point a number of times in this place that the location of the SPIRE project is a location in existing facilities from which cars come and go via Gilmore Crescent throughout the day, every day. Any of us who are driving to Canberra Hospital can already see that that traffic will be relocated. We are currently undertaking detailed traffic modelling. That will be shared with the community as soon as that is completed.
As I have also said, we are already taking on board the comments we have heard from the community. As Ms Le Couteur has pointed out, the new location for SPIRE has been known since December 2018 and was first discussed with the community in March 2019. We have not just started this conversation. We have started a detailed conversation. Members would be aware that last week I announced the establishment of a local community reference group to contribute to the further community engagement as we progress with detailed design for this project.
I acknowledge members of the Garran community and the local school community who are in the gallery today. I encourage them to apply to be part of the local
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