Page 4019 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 September 2017
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(d) set a long term vision for the delivery of city services for Canberra based on this engagement that fosters a strong and genuine sense of shared responsibility amongst the community.
The 2016 census tells us that Canberra is growing fast. In fact, over the last five years the ACT grew 11 per cent, outgrowing every other state and territory in Australia. Some 40,000 new residents have joined us here in the nation’s capital since 2012. Many of these residents have found homes in Canberra’s newer outer suburbs. Gungahlin, in my electorate of Yerrabi, is experiencing the second highest growth rate of any region in Australia. We are seeing more and more people join our community as we continue to grow in existing and new suburbs. And we are not about to see this growth slow.
As I spoke about in our sitting back in August, population growth of this magnitude demands ongoing government investment. Increasing the quantity of municipal services is essential to meet this need. However, in order to deliver necessary services to an increasing number of Canberrans, the government recognises the need to transform the way these services are undertaken in order to match the growth we are experiencing. To achieve this, a strategic approach is vital. It is this strategic element that makes the better suburbs program so significant to the community, both now and over the longer term. The better suburbs program is centred on what the Canberra community envisions for the ACT. The consultation we undertake now with Canberrans will identify their priorities and values and serve as a foundation for how our city services are planned and delivered.
It should be noted that the better suburbs program includes funding specifically allocated to forming a small and dynamic team who have already begun planning a way forward for the efficient delivery of municipal services in the ACT. The better suburbs community engagement process will enable this strategic team to develop innovative ways to balance municipal resources across Canberra. This will ensure that our delivery of municipal services to the people of Canberra is more efficient than ever, to accommodate our ever-growing city. TCCS will partner with the community to align these new solutions with existing public expectations. The better suburbs program will also see a thorough review of the efficacy and relevance of existing legislation, which may result in changes to ensure that our legislation is flexible and responsive to the changing nature of Canberra.
With an increasing number of young families now calling Canberra home, our city is renowned for being one of the most livable and accessible cities in the country. Our city services delivery is key to livability. Canberra’s urban forest, comprising over 760,000 trees in our urban parks and streets, provides shade cover and visual amenity to residents and visitors alike, not to mention the role our living infrastructure has to play in mitigating the effects of climate change. Some 1,330 tree plantings are also planned over a three-year period, in addition to existing tree replacement programs.
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