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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 3 Hansard (27 May) . . Page.. 645 ..

Mr Hargreaves: To Dream Street.

MR SMYTH: It is full of dream houses, is it not, John? Mr Speaker, we will then have to find more money to build more roads, more schools, more services, despite having underutilised roads and services in Tuggeranong. Mr Speaker, not only is it in defiance of sensible town planning; it is a simple waste of taxpayers' money. In respect of the impact on Canberra as a whole, there would be significant detriment to the community of Tuggeranong. Without constant renewal, without an employment base of its own, Tuggeranong will wither.

Mr Kaine: Mr Hargreaves, why are you trying to destroy the fabric of society?

MR SMYTH: Yes, he is a philistine. Trevor has got it right. Mr Speaker, I am not prepared to see that happen. Without a significant population base, there is no way that the Tuggeranong Town Centre would attract further significant employers. In addition, Mr Speaker, many local town centres and shopping centres in the outer areas that are dependent on the growth of Tuggeranong would not reach their potential. To say, "That is it; no more", would simply mean that these local centres would be doomed. Mr Speaker, whom would that impact on? It would impact on the people in Conder and Banks and those who depend on their local centres. Driving these people out of business would not harm just the businesses, Mr Speaker; it would also harm those that depend on their local shops. Who depends most on local shops, Mr Speaker? The answer to that one is fairly simple: It is those that cannot afford transport of their own. Often, Mr Speaker, that is the elderly, the young and the unemployed. Let us face it: Once we have stopped all development in Tuggeranong, not having let it develop to its full potential, there will be an increase in the number of unemployed in Tuggeranong.

It would also mean that there would be few options for a variety of housing in Tuggeranong. As Tuggeranong as a community ages, many who currently live in Tuggeranong and who would choose to stay in Tuggeranong would be denied these opportunities, if Mr Hargreaves's call for no further development went ahead. Mr Speaker, this Government has committed itself to building 200 aged persons units in Canberra over the next three years. I, and I would have thought Mr Hargreaves, would have liked to see some of these APUs built in Tuggeranong, to make sure that the valley has that diverse and full community that it deserves. To cease all development in Tuggeranong would mean forcing older Canberrans out of their neighbourhoods, out of their communities, and denying them access to living near their family doctors, their favourite chemists and their friends. It would also bring an end to one of the values that many residents of the valley hold dear - living in that wonderful community that they have bought into, the Tuggeranong Valley.

Mr Speaker, in summary, I do not support the end of residential development in Tuggeranong. I support the full development of Tuggeranong over time to the extent set out in the Territory Plan, and I do so because I want my family to have jobs and local shops and because I want other Canberrans to have the same opportunities that I have had in what I consider to be this city's friendliest town.

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