Page 3539 - Week 08 - Thursday, 18 August 2011
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case. So let me try and convince them a little bit more and just outline all those projects that the government has delivered on time in this period.
The Belconnen town centre improvement—$23 million. Many members of this Assembly would be familiar with the improved public transport facilities in Belconnen and the joint development with Westfield. The new bus station at the western end of the precinct is an example of a facility the government is keen to promote to improve public transport. It also includes upgrades to key roads in the area.
The Lawson intersection upgrade—$11.5 million. These intersections will enable access to be provided to the new suburb of Lawson and have been provided some eight months ahead of the time identified in the budget papers. The government has also completed the Gungahlin college off-site roadworks, worth $8.3 million, and the Braybrooke Street extension, worth $4.5 million. All were delivered on time.
Let me turn now to Mr Smyth’s electorate and the Lanyon Drive upgrade, an $11 million project. This upgrade has improved the link between Canberra and Queanbeyan on a busy road which carries a large number of commercial vehicles. The project has been delivered on time and includes collaboration with the New South Wales government and road authorities. Then there is the Bonner distributor road, worth $13 million. This road also delivered on time. So there you can see the government working to deliver important road upgrades in a timely fashion.
Let me turn now to some other very important works that are underway in relation to planning for future road and public transport works. A $90 million transport for Canberra program will be rolled out over the next few years. The Majura parkway project, a massive investment of $288 million, is anticipated to commence towards the end of next year. I am delighted, of course, that the Chief Minister has been successful in securing the support of her commonwealth colleagues to see joint funding for that important infrastructure project between the ACT and the commonwealth governments.
Of course, we heard those opposite saying that it was never going to happen. We heard those opposite saying that the commonwealth was not going to come to the party. The fact is that our Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher, has delivered on her commitment to see the commonwealth government commit 50 per cent funding for that important infrastructure project. Have we heard a peep from then since on commonwealth funding? Not a bit—not even an acknowledgement that they got it wrong again. In the same way that they got it wrong on the budget they allocated for the GDE back in 2001-02, they got it wrong when it came to the commonwealth picking up 50 per cent of the tab for the Majura parkway.
There are, of course, a range of other important projects where the government has been successful in securing commonwealth support. This includes the $42 million upgrade of Constitution Avenue. Again, we have secured the commonwealth’s commitment for the upgrade of this important road which will support increased uses along that avenue as new office and residential projects come on line.
So, yes, Madam Assistant Speaker, the government is committed to delivering these projects in a timely fashion. The government is committed to making sure that
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