Page 3179 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 20 August 2019

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of the old and quite dilapidated health centre on Benjamin Way. The block has been identified as a suitable site for the government’s demonstration housing project. This initiative will see the development of different projects on blocks of land throughout the city to showcase innovative planning and design. It is all about increasing housing choices in the ACT. A request for tender process will determine who purchases and develops the old health centre site, with demolition of the old building expected to occur very soon. I look forward to keeping the community up to date on this innovative project.

With so much residential and commercial development underway across Canberra, it is important that we continue to make the planning process more efficient. Without wanting to pre-empt tomorrow’s debate, this year’s budget commits $3.8 million over the next four years to fast track the processing of development applications, with more front-line staff to meet growing demand.

Protecting Canberra’s heritage is crucial to preserving our city’s distinct character, and another $504,000 over the same period will fund more resources for the faster processing of heritage applications.

We continue to ensure that Canberra’s growth does not impinge upon our beautiful natural environment. With this budget and its emissions reduction targets, land release strategy, waterway protections and public transport improvements, we are committed to protecting our natural landscape in a manner that also serves to benefit our urban environment. In doing so we continue to demonstrate that environmentalism and the facilitation of our city’s development can go hand in hand. I commend this part of the budget to the Assembly.

MS ORR (Yerrabi) (3.31): I am proud to belong to a government that promotes the sustainable growth of our city while prioritising a sincere commitment to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Through this budget, the ACT government has demonstrated its continuous support for developing an integrated planning approach to deliver a compact and efficient city, all the while safeguarding the health of Canberra’s natural environment.

The EPSDD is where two of my great loves intersect: the environment and sustainable urban planning. While the EPSDD vision is guided by the motivation of shaping Canberra’s future, the 2019-20 budget continues to adhere to Canberra’s unique identity as a liveable city that incorporates nature and culture in our landscape.

The ACT government cares about preserving our identity by balancing the needs of the environment, our heritage and our culture, as well as building resilience against climate change. This government works hard to ensure that we not only support but also complement the vital work undertaken by environmental groups. One of the many examples of this is the ACT government’s commitment in the 2019-20 budget to work with the Woodlands and Wetlands Trust to deliver the Mulligans Flat sanctuary.

Investment in Mulligans Flat is particularly beneficial to the constituents of Yerrabi, who have welcomed the ACT government’s $3.2 million commitment to build a


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