Page 2821 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 13 August 2019
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and environmental initiatives. The 2019-20 budget continues this investment and will deliver significant resources for transport and city services.
One of the most notable projects evolving under the TCCS portfolio is the progression of integrating Canberra’s public transport network with the construction of light rail. With stage 1 of light rail now complete and surpassing expected patronage numbers, I am pleased to see overwhelming enthusiasm for stage 2 of light rail from the city to Woden.
Conversations with my constituents in Yerrabi have reconfirmed time and again that light rail has made it easier for people to use our public transport network. Although Woden well and truly falls outside my electorate, I know that light rail stage 2 will help people living in Gungahlin make the commute along the light rail corridor, and vice versa. This will be of particular benefit to Gungahlin residents working in the public service agencies in Barton and Woden, as well as people accessing health services at Canberra Hospital.
This budget also includes funding for the design and construction of a park-and-ride facility on Well Station Drive. We have seen just how popular the park-and-ride facility in the town centre has been, and this new park and ride will make it easier for people living in Franklin, Harrison, Throsby and Forde to connect to the light rail. This government is making public transport more accessible for Canberrans, and I am pleased that this includes people living in my electorate.
We are also investing in upgrading and duplicating roads to keep Gungahlin and Belconnen moving. Travelling between Belconnen and Gungahlin will be easier as a result of our continued budget commitment to duplicate the major arterial road between Ginninderra Drive and the Barton Highway. Once completed, this duplication work will link through to Gundaroo Drive and make it easier to travel between the two parts of the Yerrabi electorate. The 2019-20 budget investment in roads includes car parks, with a commitment to upgrade parking at Palmerston shops, which I know is very much welcomed by the Palmerston community.
Within the city services portfolio, this year’s budget invests in our suburbs and natural environment. As our population and city continue to expand, it is important for us to maintain our existing natural environment and look for ways to expand the amount of green space across the ACT.
In this year’s budget the government has committed to planting over 17,000 more trees over the next four years, making our suburbs greener, mitigating the impact of climate change on our city and improving the biodiversity of our natural environment. Within my electorate there are several areas where new trees will be welcomed by residents, and I have already started speaking with people about some of the locations within their suburbs that would benefit from an increase in the tree canopy. I will continue to advocate for Yerrabi to be prioritised in the planting of the new trees, and I look forward to working with Minister Steel to deliver the best outcomes for my local community and Canberra’s entire tree canopy.
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