Page 835 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 9 March 2016

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I will be supporting Mr Gentleman’s amendment today. I think the amendment acknowledges some of the work that has been done and also some of the future plans for the area. There will be ongoing pressure on Cooleman Court, but that is part of that transition. It is also quite a boon in some regards; we are actually seeing more services provided at Cooleman Court because of the extra customer base there. I am happy to support Mr Gentleman’s amendment today.

MS FITZHARRIS (Molonglo—Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research, Minister for Transport and Municipal Services and Assistant Minister for Health) (11.42): I also thank Mrs Jones for moving this motion today and Minister Gentleman, in particular, for his amendment, which I will be supporting today. It also provides me the opportunity to talk about how this Labor government is investing in Weston Creek and the Molonglo Valley to drive the renewal and the growth of that region. I spoke recently in the chamber during my inaugural ministerial statement about the importance our local shops have for our communities. They are hubs of activity and drive our local economy, and I am very pleased to hear that the Weston Creek group centre, better known of course as Cooleman Court, is thriving so well.

Understandably, the popularity of Cooleman Court has placed pressure on the infrastructure and, as in all busy group centres, the management of parking and traffic issues is something that requires ongoing monitoring by the government. I am pleased that, by speaking with local residents and businesses and through the local community council, many improvements have already been progressed.

The specific parking improvements have been covered extensively by Minister Gentleman. But that is exactly why we need to improve the transport network as a whole. We need to also improve the number of transport choices we have. That includes cars and parking but also, as has been canvassed by Minister Gentleman and Minister Rattenbury, our walking and cycling networks as well. While not every choice will suit every person in every circumstance, if we lock people into one choice only—roads, cars and parking—we fundamentally minimise their choice in how they move safely and conveniently around our city.

As members know, Cooleman Court has two large car parks—one on either side—to promote better access to the shopping centre. The government understands that we must respond to this growing demand and ensure that the infrastructure at Cooleman Court remains contemporary to the needs of businesses and customers. The ACT government has worked closely, particularly through the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate, with the local community to drive the changes that are needed. A survey of the use of the existing parking resulted in the inclusion in the master plan for the Weston Creek group centre additional parking. To facilitate this, the ACT government provided $600,000 to build an additional 76 car parking spaces last year.

In addition, as part of last year’s budget the government has also provided $860,000 for an upgrade to Brierly Street and Trenerry Square. These works will improve pedestrian and cyclist safety and access for pedestrians and promote more active travel in line with the ACT government’s overall transport strategy. If we can improve the network to walk and cycle safely to the shops, then we should, and we


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