Page 3446 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 22 August 2018
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Dickson is one of the biggest shopping precincts we have in Canberra. You would think there is not much that Dickson does not have to offer for locals. Yet it did not stop Downer residents passionately lobbying for a refurbishment of their beloved Downer shops, a mere kilometre away. What we do not want to see is our local shops becoming run-down and losing basic amenities because this government has let this core municipal service fall through the cracks.
Whilst individual shopkeepers and landlords who own the shops have a responsibility, and an incentive, to make sure their shops are the best they can be, there is a limit to what they can do when it comes to parking, road maintenance, community safety, street sweeping, lighting, footpaths and public amenities.
Canberra is community. I have seen time and again how Canberrans respond when local community groups take the initiative to create a buzz. An example that immediately comes to mind is the Light Up Lyneham festival, which is now in its second year, a festival that I spoke about in this chamber only last week. When you see more than 700 Canberrans come together on a cold winter’s night with homemade lanterns to follow the Canberra prosperous mountain lion dance troupe around the wetlands, it is quite a sight to behold.
Another example is the pop-up market at the Red Hill shops which was held last year. I am sure that my fellow Kurrajong members will know that Red Hill shops are small, quaint and relatively quiet—even more so now with the current development. But during the pop-up event you could hardly move with the hundreds of Canberrans crammed into the common area, trying local handmade doughnuts, buying dog treats, and enjoying local wines and beer at the pop-up bar.
I bring this motion to the Assembly today because I, and many of my constituents, greatly value our local shops and have seen a number of ways they can be improved to bring the community even closer together. Recently, I asked for suggestions from my constituents on how we could improve our local shops. This issue clearly struck a chord with many. The responses I received were, to say the least, numerous and diverse. What this clearly told me was that my constituents are concerned about some of the neglect they have seen at their local shops and that they want to see improvements—from general maintenance to more community amenities to bring local residents together.
Whilst the feedback was as varied as the local shops we have in Canberra, there were a number of issues that seemed to come up time and again. I address some of these today. The first is parking. This government would tell you that the light rail will fix everything. But tell me how many local shops—not major shopping precincts but local shops—are on the light rail corridor. Local shops, by their name and by their nature, are your local, so many Canberrans will be in a position to walk or cycle to them.
However, exacerbated by the bus network being slashed, many Canberrans who either live too far away or who have mobility concerns may have no option but to drive to
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video