Page 92 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 13 December 2016
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of the work of a Labor government with a vision for Canberra’s future. I fundamentally believe in the role of government in building our city, in partnership with business, civil society and the community.
If Canberra is the most livable city in the world then the south side is the most livable part of the most livable city in the world. Whilst I have seen the significant improvements to our city over the past five years, I can also see how much improvement there is still to make, particularly on the south side. We face significant challenges, with an ageing population, ageing infrastructure in our established suburbs and the challenges that come with population growth in our new suburbs. I will be focusing on how we support people in Canberra to age successfully, through improvements to health care and transport. And I will be supporting urban renewal in our existing suburbs and new infrastructure for our growing suburbs.
The overall theme from the election was that Canberra is growing. All the major policy debates were about managing growth: the demands on our health and hospital system, the congestion on our roads, planning and land development. In my electorate there are now 4,000 people living in Wright and Coombs. The first residents will move into Denman Prospect in January and there will be up to 50,000 people living there in the next two decades. This growth brings significant challenges but also new opportunities for our city.
These challenges mean that our city must continue to change. We cannot look back. The Prime Minister is a big fan of this quote from Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard:
If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.
I say that if we want Canberra to remain livable then we have to change, and governments have to step up to meet the challenge with long-term reform.
If we do not want to live in a city that is congested then we need to deliver genuine public transport alternatives like light rail. Governments are often criticised for not thinking beyond the next election, and not planning ahead and putting in place long-term policies to address long-term challenges. There could not have been a greater symbol of this forward-looking, confident, progressive government than our policy to deliver light rail. It is vital infrastructure for our growing city and I am proud that Labor committed during the campaign to bring light rail from the city to Woden in my home electorate. It is a crucial link to be able to develop future stages of light rail, including to Tuggeranong.
It will also be the catalyst for urban renewal in Woden town centre. The urban uplift and renewal benefits from light rail are proven. This is an opportunity to see more people living in Woden town centre, close to public transport and services, and providing demand for thriving businesses which benefit the whole community. More people living in our existing town centres is an opportunity for quality design and development to take place, and to keep the open spaces in our suburbs that make Canberra such a great place to live.
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