Page 397 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 21 March 2023
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This comes back to a similar issue as the one Skye was raising. Not everybody can walk a long way. I have asked in the past why can we not have a playground down there, and I have been told people can walk to John Knight Memorial Park. That is 1½ kilometres away. It is a really long way to walk, particularly if you are three years old! Mums and dads and little kids probably are not going to be able to get that far. So it would be really great if we could get some more forward planning in Belconnen CBD and if we could get great engagement with the issues that Peter has raised.
Municipal services—Casey—petition 3-23
MS ORR (Yerrabi) (10.17): I rise to speak to the petition on Casey and surrounding areas. From the outset, I would like to thank Phil, who has worked with his community in Casey and the Casey Region Residents Action Group to put this petition together. It is a very well organised and very enthusiastic grassroots activity. It really speaks to some of the issues the residents have concerns about and I think rightly so. I would also like to thank Phil and the group for the constructive process they have taken through the petition in looking for solutions to the issues they see coming.
I had a great chat with Phil and I asked him if there was anything that he would like put on the record when the petition is tabled? Now I quote what he said:
On behalf of the Casey Region Residents Action Group, I would like to thank MLA Suzanne Orr for your help in sponsoring this petition and listening to the concerns of Casey residents. We have also been thankful for the bipartisan support that various members on all sides of politics for the Yerrabi electorate have shown us during this time. Whether the proposed nine to 11 storey building does become a reality or not, we do hope our concerns in the petition will be addressed with a transparent process and in a timely manner. This includes public transport improvements, pedestrian access improvements and road infrastructure improvements. All will help to make Casey a more welcoming place to live.
I would just like to add to that Casey is a great suburb, up our way in Gungahlin. We know there are some growing pressures there, because it is quite popular, it is quite good. There are a few things we need to address. I have already started a dialogue with the minister. I appreciate his openness to working through these issues. I look forward to working with him and the residents of Casey as we work through the various things that are concerning them in their area.
Seniors—retirement villages—petitions 38-22 and 08-23
MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (10.19): I rise today to thank John and Kay for their hard work in bringing forward this petition regarding an ombudsman for retirement villages. They, alongside the broader retirement villages community, have done an amazing job to collect over 270 electronic and paper signatures in support of the establishment of the retirement villages ombudsman here in the ACT.
I do not what to pre-empt debate and discussion on my motion tomorrow too much, but I think it is important to highlight that retirement village operators hold a trusted position in the community. They are commonly big multinational companies with
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