Page 3331 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 21 August 2018
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importance of this, with $126 million over four years for planning the future of our growing city. This funding will enable the ACT government to finalise master plans that guide the sustainable development of our precincts, while also respecting the distinct features of each town centre and community hub.
I am particularly excited about the delivery of the Kippax group centre master plan. West Belconnen residents need certainty, and I think many people will agree that this process has been a little protracted, for a range of reasons, including a number which have been outside the government’s control. The master plan will help give this certainty.
Something the community also needs certainty about is our approach in this city to billboards. While I am pleased that we learned during estimates that there is a working group underway, there are very strong feelings in the community about billboards, and providing certainty to residents and businesses alike does need to be a priority. It is my expectation that the working group will continue to take into account the views of the community, and I look forward to regular updates about this. I am very pleased that this does remain a priority for the directorate, and I thank the minister for the response from the directorate to the estimates report.
As our population grows, the need for affordable housing choices becomes even more important. This year the government will be releasing more land for more than 4,000 homes in both suburban and urban areas, including 228 affordable homes, 113 public housing properties and 20 community housing properties. I am very aware that we also have supportive housing in amongst this. I was pleased to attend some consultations, which I spoke about last week, and note the community’s willingness to embrace these in their neighbourhoods. An additional 472 affordable homes for eligible low income households will be realised in the coming year.
In my own electorate—and yours, Madam Deputy Speaker—the government is working to improve the availability of housing. To the west of Belconnen, we are releasing land, continually but in a very measured way, for Ginninderry. Ginninderry is creating schools, shops, community facilities and as many as 11,500 new homes for ACT residents. It is also a key player in improving our energy efficiency and sustainability. It has already been rated Australia’s first six-star, green star community. Minister Rattenbury helped launch the electric vehicle charging station there, and that is mandated across households. Ginninderry is also leading the way in making sure that our community is supported through the Spark program. I very much appreciate their work; I want to put that on the record and particularly thank Emma.
I note that there is a significant amount of land release occurring in the Belconnen town centre and slated to occur. While it is a fabulous place to be, and as a resident I can absolutely understand why everybody wants to move there, I am reassured that the directorate is continuing to very carefully consider the timing of the land release. I will continue to strongly encourage this.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I said it last week, and I am repeating it today: Canberra is growing, and we recognise this. We also recognise our responsibility to ensure that this growth is sustainable. With this budget’s new investments in energy conservation,
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