Page 1112 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 5 April 2016

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MR WALL (Brindabella) (3.31): I am more than happy to speak on the MPI today—namely, the importance of creating a city for Canberra’s young people and valuing their ideas. However, I do find it ironic that the MPI has been brought here today by an ex-minister who oversaw a child with a disability being placed in a cage in an ACT school. It is one thing to talk about the importance of creating a city for Canberra’s young people and valuing their ideas; it is entirely another thing to put this into action.

This government has been paying lip-service to our community and its groups for far too long. We are expected to listen to their vision statements about what a great place this town can be. But it would appear that more money is being spent on spin and marketing than the actual services that people need to live their daily lives. It seems to be all gloss and no substance.

You only need to look at the Westside container village. This facility was supposed to offer a vibrant hub for the younger Canberrans. The first major event took place in March last year and it has been struggling ever since. The village was shut down in April, a month after its first major event, so remedial works could be undertaken, and it has been widely criticised since its inception, so much so that Chief Minister Andrew Barr decided to go on the defensive, and continues to do so. He was quoted in the Canberra Times on 2 June of last year saying:

It’s been an outstanding success and will continue to be. I will not accept this commentary that no-one goes there, that no-one enjoys it, when it’s hugely popular with a certain demographic; the demographic it was designed for.

Fast forward less than 12 months and it has been such an abysmal failure that the Barr government has had to use even more of the taxpayer dollar to “reactivate” the area. When is enough enough with this government?

We are now almost six months out from the election and they are now considering discussion on valuing the ideas of our young people. We have also just heard of the recently announced so-called listening tour. If the government were really serious about considering the views of young people and, in fact, any demographic other than their own narrow elitist views, they would look at the things that really matter to young people, like housing affordability.

How can we expect the youth to thrive if they cannot meet the basic needs that they require to live in this city? The Barr government’s land release policy only seeks to drive up prices and make the concept of owning your own home even further out of reach for young people growing up in the city today.

Transport is yet another important consideration for Canberra’s young people. The government’s response to this is to build light rail that will provide benefits to a very small proportion of this town. A Canberra Times article as recent as today states:

In 2012 the ACT government ignored its own analysis in choosing light rail over a busway, and in 2014 the business case included benefits which are implausible and unsubstantiated.


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