Page 1465 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 24 March 2010
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MR DOSZPOT: Mr Speaker—
Mrs Dunne: And you’re running it down.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, just continue. You have the floor.
MR DOSZPOT: Thank you. It is an issue that is brought to my attention every time I visit a shopping centre, every time I attend a community council meeting and often through representations from constituents. I have recently addressed issues that range from streetlights out of action for over three months near Calwell shops to uneven footpaths and the lack of kerbs and gutters in Bonython. In the scheme of things these issues do not seem as important as other issues, but for the community these issues are paramount. These issues come first for them.
One issue I have recently made a number of representations to Mr Stanhope on is in relation to the maintenance of grassed areas that are potential bushfire hazards. I have heard from one family who could not walk behind their home because of the waist-high grass that they could not get mown or slashed. There is the case of a home owner in Kambah who is constantly reminding the government to maintain a grassed area between his home as well as other residents’ homes and a nature reserve behind their properties that is a proven bushfire risk. This patch of grass was well alight during the 2003 bushfires. Without the action and quick thinking of residents, other fires over the years could have resulted in serious property damage or worse.
Our local shopping centres are the hub of the community. They need to be safe, clean, well-maintained places that people are comfortable to visit. The failure of this government to stick to a plan in terms of shopping centre refurbishments is something that will long be remembered. Some of the original Tuggeranong suburbs are ageing and along with them their shopping centres. The residents of these suburbs are also ageing and require adequate and safe infrastructure in terms of footpaths and roads. Simple things like bus shelters and seats are not unreasonable requests and should be installed at every opportunity.
I was pleased to see the Chief Minister respond and install a bus seat at a bus stop in Calwell recently after contact from my office. I had made representations on behalf of a group of older constituents who, after a reasonable walk to the bus stop, would be glad of the opportunity to take a seat while they wait for their bus. Again, that is a simple, not unreasonable request. The installation of this seat and hopefully soon a shelter as well will make all the difference for this group of residents.
Graffiti vandalism is rampant across all suburbs in the ACT. No one suburb is immune. The vandalism is now a regular part of our landscape. We only need to travel down Athllon Drive to see graffiti tags covering the fences of homes in Torrens or travel down Tharwa Drive towards the Lanyon Valley to see a constant landscape of graffiti. The laneways and drains of Gordon, Chisholm, Monash, Calwell and Theodore are all adorned with those tags. Brindabella is not alone. The same graffiti can be found in Manuka and Kingston, in Gungahlin and along fences adjacent to Belconnen Way. It is everywhere. Even government-owned buildings and facilities
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