Page 3306 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 18 September 2013
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OneSun and ensure that large scale alternative energy plants are sympathetically situated to benefit both the environment and residents of the Australian Capital Territory. We further request that large solar plants not be located in close proximity to residential areas.
Petition received.
MR WALL: The motion I bring to this place today is one that epitomises, in my view, what is fundamental about our role as members of the Legislative Assembly, and that is communication and consultation. This motion, at its heart, is about our constituents. The ratepayers and taxpayers of the ACT, we should all remember, are responsible for giving us the responsibility that we hold in this place to represent them.
The motion before us today is a reflection of the sentiment of many of these constituents, namely, the residents of Uriarra, a large number of whom have managed to join us in the gallery today. These residents are committed to retaining their village as a unique community that offers a unique lifestyle here in the bush capital. I am sure that some members here will be well aware of Uriarra Village and some will have even spent some time there. There are others, though, and many other Canberrans also who will not have a clue where Uriarra Village is or why people would choose to live there.
Madam Speaker, please allow me to take this opportunity to paint a picture of an idyllic lifestyle, minutes from the city centre, where Uriarra Village is. It is located about four kilometres north of the Cotter Reserve and sits at the foothills of the Australian Alps. It began life as a settlement for forestry workers back in 1928 and the census of that year tells us that there were 30 families that were in residence here at that time.
In 2003 the devastating Canberra bushfires made a very significant impact on the village. Sixteen of the original 23 homes were lost and burnt to the ground. After much debate in the community and work by a few committed individuals, the decision was reached to rebuild the village with a view to creating a unique residential area sympathetic to its bush surrounds. In 2007 building commenced for the new Uriarra Village and this was when many of the current 100 or so families chose to begin their lives there in a unique rural village setting only minutes from the heart of our capital.
In June 2012 the Chief Minister, attending the inaugural Uriarra community day which was held in conjunction with the official naming of the suburb Coree, said in a press release:
Uriarra Village is an important part of Canberra’s history and is an example of Canberra as the ‘bush capital’.
It is great to see the extensive redevelopment following the 2003 bushfires and I hope to see the Village continue to grow and prosper for future generations to enjoy.
This paints a picture of a community who have now banded together with great strength to oppose what they see as an enormous threat to the current way of life, a
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