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Madam Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to say a few words about the initiatives in
the budget for Belconnen.
Madam Speaker, I am proud of this government and I am proud that it’s delivering on its
election commitments, especially through the ACT Budget announced yesterday and in particular
I wanted to note the range of excellent initiatives to serve the Belconnen community, which I’m
really looking forward to talking with people about over the coming weeks and months.
The first of these is the $15 million to complete Belconnen Arts Centre and Madam Speaker, I
know that you know for how long that has been an active campaign by many people in the community,
including the volunteers, the staff and the board at the Belconnen Arts Centre, as well
as a huge community backing for that.
I’m very pleased that the $15 million will include new workshop, performance and exhibition
spaces and I’m sure it is going to be just a great delight for everyone to experience
what that will be like when it is realised—and it will be realised because of what has been
committed in the budget.
There is also $16 million to operationalise the University of Canberra Public Hospital
and again, Madam Speaker, I think a lot of people have been watching with great interest
to see what’s happening with the public hospital.
It’s growing day by day; the building is looking fantastic, but of course we have got
to staff that building, we’ve got to make sure we have got people who are clinically
trained and ready to go once that building is opening in mid 2018 and that $16 million
will see us there.
Something I am particularly excited about as a Belconnen Town Centre resident is the
Belco Bikeway, a separated bike path which will help connect the major landmarks in the
town centre, but also the town centre to the neighbouring suburbs and importantly the University
of Canberra.
At the moment the University of Canberra kind of has its back to the Belconnen Town Centre
and I think that the separated bike path will do a great deal to help connect it.
We have also got major roads that are currently separating other suburbs of Page and Florey
from the Belconnen Town Centre, as well as Lawson and I think that this separated bike
path is going to make a really big difference to that and connecting so many suburbs to
the heart of Belconnen, which is the Town Centre.
On top of that, we have got early planning for the expansion of Bindubi Street and planning
upgrades to William Hovell Drive.
And our schools are also doing quite well out of this budget.
Lake Ginninderra College, Aranda Primary and Melba-Copland are sharing in the $85 million
for school classroom and facility upgrades that are happening across Canberra and on
top of that we’ve got $5.9 million to continue Belconnen High’s modernisation and that’s
on top of $17 million that has already been invested into that school.
It will include equipment upgrades and refurbishment, including replacing some roofs and enhancing
some of the technology spaces and I know that the students and staff there are very much
looking forward to it.
And I thank them for the tour that they provided me and Minister Berry a few weeks ago.
In addition to that, wait there’s more!
We’ve got a new rapid bus route between Belconnen and Gungahlin and for the first
two months there will be free travel on that.
And Page will share in $1.5 million with the suburb of Hughes for better footpaths, crossings
and traffic islands – making it a more age friendly suburb.
So Madam Speaker, I think it’s pretty exciting what we are going to see happening in Belconnen
over the next little while.
Belconnen is a strong, vibrant community and these budget initiatives will ensure that
Belconnen continues to remain a great place to live, a great place to work and a great
place to play.
Thanks very much.