Page 3427 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 22 October 2014
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MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.10): I thank Dr Bourke for raising this issue today. We can thank, if we take a historical perspective on this, Walter and Marion Griffin and the committee that chose the Griffin design for a large part of the Canberra we have today—namely, the bush capital design. The thought that went into those very early foundations of our city and the design of the national capital in providing us with a constant water supply from the mountains behind the city really laid the foundations for what has become, I think, a very wonderful city, a city that is very early in its shaping. Having just celebrated its centenary, we know that this city is very much a work in progress but one that we have great foundations to build from.
As a result of those early decisions our hills, an integral part of Canberra that we know and love, are protected and our suburbs nestle between them in a picturesque way in the valleys. That is something which Canberrans talk about. No suburb in Canberra is further than two suburbs away from a nature reserve. As a result, all Canberrans really do grow up with the opportunity to develop an appreciation of nature.
For the past century, Canberra’s infrastructure has been designed with urban open space protection in mind, endowing us with many street trees, a network of cycling and walking paths, scenic lakes and, more recently, wetlands being retrofitted into our creek system. This means that people are more inspired to head out for a walk in the reserve, to take their dog for a walk through our green belts, to ride their bikes around or to take the family out on the weekend.
We should reflect on the fact that we have excellent roads in this city. We take our great roads and our relatively easy parking for granted. A visit to other major cities really reminds you that Canberra is far from the usual rat race that residents in other cities have to suffer on a daily basis. We have a safe and clean city. We have wide open spaces with lots of playgrounds, and you do not have to walk many kilometres to find one, unlike many other cities.
This is a really easy place for people to live in, to put it quite simply. Whether it is families, single people or people with dogs, it really is a great place to live in. Anyone who goes out to the lake at lunchtime can see for themselves just how many people go for a quick walk, jog or run around the lake. On weekends, of course, it is even busier, with family bike rides, sailing, windsurfing and dragon boating. You name it, there is an opportunity to do it in this city.
People often say that Canberra is a boring place to be. I dispute that fiercely. I think we have the great fortune of being big enough to be a fun city but small enough to be a country town. I often say to people that one of the things that I have learnt since coming to this Assembly—and it is not something I anticipated when I first sought election—is that, as members, we get invited to many community events. I think we all come to this place knowing a fair bit about Canberra and having a pretty strong passion for the city across the political spectrum, no matter which party we run for. I always enjoy meeting the candidates from other parties because the universal factor is that people want to know more about this city, they want to have an involvement, and they feel they know a fair bit about the city.
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