Page 2154 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 2 August 2022
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and it will see new intersection designs delivered throughout Canberra which are more reminiscent of European cities—that are safe for walkers and cyclists. We hope that this will encourage more people to take up active travel in the future.
Tharwa—water
MR MILLIGAN: My question is to the Minister for Planning and Land Management. Minister, at the end of the last Assembly the government agreed to work with the people of Tharwa and conduct a co-designed consultation process to address their water supply, especially for fire services. Has this process begun?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Mr Milligan for the question. It is an important piece of work on which government has been working with the local community, and identifying a site for some new water tanks at Tharwa. There was some resistance from the Tharwa community about the location of those tanks, so this piece of work has been continuing since then. I will ask my directorate for an update on that and provide some more information for Mr Milligan.
MR MILLIGAN: When will this process actually be completed, and on what areas of consultation have you spoken to the community?
MR GENTLEMAN: It will be completed once the work is done. We want to make sure that we have the community on board as we deliver this. I have been working with them, too, and I know they were concerned about that location. They did provide some other opportunities for us, but it would be incredibly costly to bring water across, for example, from the other part of Tuggeranong to Tharwa. We will continue that work, and I will provide Mr Milligan with an update on that.
MS LAWDER: Minister, for how much longer will the people of Tharwa have to live without adequate potable and non-potable water, notwithstanding the fire-fighting issue?
MR GENTLEMAN: Let me make it very clear that Tharwa is a rural village. It does not have water piped from the territory to the village. It uses rainfall, usually caught on rooftops across the area, for its water. Of course, that is the use for water in those rural villages. We do not pump water to those rural villages.
Multicultural communities—swimming lessons
MR BRADDOCK: My question is to the Minister for Sport and Recreation. Minister, learning to swim is an important life skill for all Australians, including those who have come here from abroad whose religious and cultural beliefs preclude them from attending general swimming classes with the public. Has the government given consideration in this budget for women-only swimming lessons, to teach this life skill in a culturally appropriate way?
MS BERRY: The budget will be released later on this afternoon by the Treasurer and Chief Minister. What I can say is that in the past the ACT government has provided funding to organisations to support migrants and refugees to learn how to swim, particularly with women-only learn-to-swim programs through the Royal Life Saving
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