Page 2160 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 3 August 2021

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referred to the Standing Committee on Planning, Transport and City Services and I sincerely hope that the committee looks into this draft variation. When they do so I hope that they also remember the wording of the petition and the 853 residents who signed it. We are, after all, here to serve the community.

Finally, I thank the Griffith Narrabundah Community Association and in particular, their chair, David Denham, for his work in collecting the signatures, engaging with members of the community and bringing this important matter to the Assembly.

Sport—Nicholls Oval—petition 22-21

MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (11.07): I rise today to thank the Gungahlin Eagles Rugby Union Club and the wider Gungahlin community for their hard work in bringing forward this petition about Nicholls Oval. They have done an amazing job to collect over 500 signatures.

The Nicholls Oval has served as the local sporting hub for the community of Nicholls, but also the wider Gungahlin district, for over 20 years. Most importantly, it is also home to the Eagles. The local community would like to see their facilities improved, and I think they are right. A little bit of TLC at Nicholls Oval would be very appreciated. The central issues that the community would like to see addressed are with the change rooms and the turf quality. In the past 20 years the amenities at Nicholls have not changed. Twenty years ago we were not building facilities with quite the same wisdom as we do now; we did not build any female change rooms. It is pretty obvious that if you do not have changing facilities for women, it makes their participation more challenging. Earlier this year I wrote to Minister Berry on behalf of the club to request this upgrade, and the minister has noted the request and will consider it amongst competing priorities. I believe that this petition should showcase just how much community support there is for the project.

The second issue that the community would like to see addressed is the turf quality. A recent TCCS physical and chemical analysis report showed that there are a number of issues with the field. The report indicated excessive compaction issues; low soil aeration; and low infiltration and hydraulic conductivity rates, causing shallow rooting and a lack of vigour and resilience in the turf. The recommendations made by TCCS were for either a complete reconstruction or the option to install suitable drainage over the entire site. I believe that this work is still in the works; but the community would like to see it resolved, as turf issues cause injuries. No-one wants to play on an unsafe ground. I am hopeful that we can make Nicholls Oval a top-notch facility once again. I want to, once again, thank the Gungahlin Eagles for bringing this forward.

Planning—Gungahlin town centre—petition 16-21

MR BRADDOCK (Yerrabi) (11.09): I wish to speak to the petition lodged in my name on the suspension of sales in the Gungahlin town centre. It may be of no surprise to the members here that I have an intense interest in the future of the Gungahlin town centre and ensuring that the community gets a town centre to be proud of—a town centre that serves the community, a town centre that the community


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