Page 1145 - Week 04 - Friday, 23 April 2021
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way to get some exercise while enjoying the scenery. The play areas provide exciting and engaging play opportunities for children of all ages.
I would like to acknowledge Mr Pettersson’s dedication as an advocate in working with the Yerrabi Pond community, including his assistance in helping them to establish the Friends of Yerrabi Pond group, which, no doubt, the government will value as we continue to look at improvements around Yerrabi Pond.
The ACT government has been investing in Yerrabi Pond in recent years, including through the construction of a new nature play space that opened in 2020. The new nature play space has an aquatic theme, featuring a central climbable turtle that pays homage to the species that live in our local waterways, including Yerrabi Pond. There are percussion instruments, as well as a sandpit, balancing equipment, natural log and boulder steppers. Additional trees have been planted to provide shade as part of that project. To complement the play space, last year local Aboriginal artist Matilda House, with assistance from Kirrily Jordan and Annick Thompson, painted a colourful mural on the toilet block wall which tells a story about the wildlife found in the nearby waterways. That was supported by the ACT government.
These investments have already made improvements to the area for those who visit it frequently; but we also know from the community that they would like to see more done to improve the open spaces around the broader pond area. I have been speaking with my colleagues Ms Orr, Mr Pettersson and, previously, Mr Gupta in relation to improvements around the lake. That is why, at the election last year, we made commitments around improving Yerrabi Pond even further.
In the budget, we have invested $300,000 to consult with locals and undertake a feasibility study to identify further improvements around Yerrabi Pond. The study will consider the priorities of the community across a range of areas, not being limited to things that Mr Pettersson has mentioned—active travel connectivity, access, landscaping, plantings, signage, car parking and availability of recreational facilities, as well as things like lighting, access to recycling and garbage services and the provision of additional bins.
During the process, we want to hear from the community what they love most about the area and what they would like to see improved. This engagement exercise will inform future design work in the area. The consultation will be starting soon. I would like to encourage the Friends of Yerrabi Pond and the broader community to get involved by sharing their views.
I welcome the petitions that have been tabled today and earlier in the week in relation to the ideas that have been put forward by the community. I welcome the petitions as a way of not only asking for particular things to be done but clearly articulating the community’s views. I would not put down, as the opposition have today, anything that comes forward into the Assembly regarding petitions. They are a valuable way of things coming forward.
Things about improvements come forward to government in a variety of different ways. We should accept them through whatever door they come. This one is really
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