Page 1022 - Week 03 - Thursday, 23 March 2017
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Labor does not believe in leaving it to the market. I note Mr Hanson has been calling on government to intervene. Yes, government is intervening. It is starting to intervene. We are working on bringing light rail stage 2 to Woden. Yes, it will take some time for that to occur, but the benefits that it will bring to Woden town centre and to the people that already live in Woden in some of those newly established apartment buildings will be wonderful.
It will help to improve access and it will help to improve the viability of Woden. Everybody acknowledges, as I have already stated, that parts of Woden are due for renewal. Labor has a plan to deliver that. As we have heard from Minister Gentleman today, we are talking about the Woden master plan. It will be open for comment. It is a wonderful opportunity for people to have their say about what Woden looks like and what they would like it to look like in the future.
I am looking forward to being able to walk out of this place of an afternoon after we finish debating some really important issues for the people of Canberra, jumping on the light rail and going all the way to Woden and eventually to Tuggeranong, I would hope. That is what we see: that light rail will be able to do that. It will be much quicker and much safer than the bus routes that we have today. I am really looking forward to and am excited by that opportunity.
The rezoning and the encouragement of redevelopment is also moving thousands of jobs and residents into the Woden town centre. I understand that Mrs Jones has raised today the issue of heights. This is why we have consultation. People can raise those concerns and they can be looked at by the independent ACT planning authority. We can have those discussions and we will continue to have those discussions. We will see what is right for Woden and what the people and the community really would like to see working for them and for Woden.
I too would like to talk about the upgrade of the Phillip oval. It is a wonderful opportunity to start the process of making Woden spread across that whole precinct and stop looking at Woden town centre as the only part of Woden that is important. The opportunity to finish a football game and walk from there through a lovely revitalised vibrant area is something I think everyone in this place, including the members for Murrumbidgee, will be looking forward to seeing happen. I too cannot wait for that to occur.
I am sure Mr Steel would agree that although this is only the start of the conversation, it has to start somewhere. We are all excited about and looking forward to Woden being rejuvenated. It will be a more wonderful and vibrant place to be. I thank Ms Cheyne for the opportunity to speak to the MPI she has brought to the chamber and for allowing me to talk about some of the memories that I have had about Woden town centre.
MR HANSON (Murrumbidgee) (4.36): It is great that we are all here talking about Woden. There will be, no doubt, some difference of opinion, but the fact that we are talking about Woden is a good thing. It is extraordinary that Ms Cody just said it is the start of a conversation and it is great that we are having this conversation now. My
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