Page 65 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
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In education, later this year the Deputy Chief Minister will release our early childhood strategy, which outlines our plan to ensure that every child in the ACT has the best start in life through equitable access to high-quality early childhood education and care. This important document will also outline the first targeted phase of our commitment to provide free preschool to three-year-olds in the ACT. We will also continue our significant investment in public education infrastructure. This will include commencing construction on the new $47 million primary school at Denman Prospect, the commencement of planning works for a new high school in east Gungahlin and an expansion of the Franklin Early Childhood School.
Continuing in Minister Berry’s portfolio, 2020 will mark the second year of our $100 million public housing growth and renewal program, which will grow our public housing stock by 200 dwellings and renew a further 1,000 existing properties. We will also be pleased to open the Stromlo leisure centre in the sport and recreation portfolio, and Molonglo, and indeed all Canberra residents, will be able begin using this centre later this year.
In the transport portfolio, we will take the next step in delivering on our vision for a well-connected Canberra when we sign the contract and begin preparatory work on light rail stage 2A from the city to Commonwealth Park. Since it commenced in April last year, light rail has been a huge success with Canberrans, smashing the previously predicted passenger numbers, and to date we have had 3.5 million boardings. There is no doubt that this was the right investment, at the right time, for Canberra. This year we look forward to the process commencing on stage 2A, which will expand our light rail network from the city and ultimately over the lake, through the parliamentary triangle and on to Woden town centre.
In city services, Minister Steel will also lead the rollout of the territory-wide bulky waste collection service in the ACT. This comes off the back of the government successfully completing a territory-wide green bin rollout ahead of schedule and the delivery of a container deposit scheme in the ACT.
In emergency services, as our city grows, we will continue to invest in the emergency services that Canberrans need. I do not think it hurts to repeat that this summer has shown the capability of our already well-resourced Emergency Services Agency. In the coming months, Minister Gentleman will unveil the ACT’s two newest firefighting vehicles, and we will provide more funding to our bushfire fighting capabilities.
We are also providing our Rural Fire Service and the SES with the additional resources that they need to keep us safe. There is no doubt that every Canberran rests easier at night knowing that we are being looked after by our amazing and hardworking emergency services personnel, led by Commissioner Georgeina Whelan. They again deserve our deepest thanks and appreciation.
With the Orroral Valley fire continuing to burn in Namadgi National Park, dampened by the significant rain we have received in recent times, we are now moving into a significant effort to repair the devastating ecological damage done in the park.
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