Page 2057 - Week 07 - Thursday, 24 June 2021
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Tuggeranong foreshore. I am really pleased to talk about this as the minister responsible for this initiative and as a lifelong south-sider and Tuggeranong resident.
As Ms Lawder and the other Brindabella members would be aware, during the election, we set out Labor’s plan for Tuggeranong, which, among a significant range of investments, included over $4 million in a commitment for major improvements to the Tuggeranong foreshore precinct, from Reed Street South to Tuggeranong town park and beyond. We also committed to consult with the community as part of that process. We are looking forward to delivering four budgets over the next four years delivering on our election commitments.
The commitment was made to undertake a range of upgrades. They will be based on community consultation but could include a new playground, recreational facilities, better green spaces and accessibility improvements. We have already got to work on a new toilet to provide people with access to toilet facilities near the learn-to-ride area and Mimi’s Pit Stop.
I would have been equally pleased to talk about the Canberra Liberals’ plans for Tuggeranong and their plans to upgrade Lake Tuggeranong. Unfortunately, the Canberra Liberals did not release a plan for Tuggeranong before the election and made absolutely no commitments to improving the lake whatsoever. This goes to a theme that we see with the Canberra Liberals: they never promise and they cannot deliver. Sometimes the Greens get criticised for taking credit for things, but I think that is unfair to the Greens. This is a clear example of the Liberals taking credit for Labor’s commitments to upgrade the Tuggeranong foreshore, which we are so committed to. I want to acknowledge the work that has been done by Joy Burch in relation to raising these issues, which resulted in our commitment, which we will deliver in this term of government.
The commitment recognises the importance of Canberra’s lakes to their local communities as destinations for recreation, exercise and socialising. Members would recall that in November 2020 the ACT government opened new laneways in Tuggeranong town square, an upgrade that represented a significant investment in revitalising the town centre. Tuggeranong residents saw what investments our government was making in Tuggeranong as a result of the work on the laneways, as a result of the work on Anketell Street. That was reflected in the election result, where Labor got a seven per cent swing towards us. The Liberals are now reeling and, with this motion, trying to catch up and attempt to take credit for our election commitments and the work that the ACT government has been doing more broadly to revitalise Tuggeranong town centre.
The laneways project reimagined the connection from Anketell Street to the lake shore and the town square, opening up views of the lake and making pedestrian access easier from Anketell Street to the lake shore. It included spaces for outdoor dining; new shade structures; seating; water; permeable paving around trees; rain gardens on Cowlishaw Street; a level and accessible place open for everyday use and events; approximately 40 deciduous trees; and a new grass space on the lake foreshore, which looks absolutely fantastic. That is right next to the newly upgraded Tuggeranong
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