ACT Budget - GCC summary | Government

ACT Budget - GCC summary

Written by Alan Kerlin Tuesday, 04 May 2010 18:40

ACT Budget

ACT Government commitment to rectifying Gungahlin’s infrastructure shortfall welcomed

The 2010–11 ACT Budget has been largely welcomed by GCC as a solid further step towards correcting years of lagging infrastructure, as the population surges past 41,000, on its way towards 100,000 people.

Transport

“This budget includes some very important projects for improving public transport services for Gungahlin commuters, over and above the most welcome continuation of the Gungahlin REDEX bus service” said GCC President Alan Kerlin.

“For more than three years we have been asking for a major Park’n’Ride to be built at EPIC, for a ‘tidal’ bus lane down the centre of Northbourne Avenue, and a fix to the major congestion woes at the Phillip Avenue/Majura Avenue intersection.

“Although the actual solution for bus priority on Northbourne Avenue is not yet determined, we are confident that our tidal bus lane proposal will be the most effective and cost efficient.

“Importantly, what is good for Gungahlin commuters will also be good for everyone else of North Canberra, leading to reduced rat-running through their suburbs, reduced car congestion on Northbourne and Phillip Avenues, and ultimately reduced road construction tax imposts for all Canberrans. Done well, the EPIC Park’n’Ride should also divert many NSW commuters from rat-running through Watson, Hackett and Ainslie.”

The public transport infrastructure will be augmented by Bike’n’Ride facilities, a major bus station for the Gungahlin town centre, and initial work for priority bus lanes down Flemington Road. A $12.5 million project to install a live bus service information system at key bus stops was welcomed as a key tool for improving bus patronage.

GCC was disappointed that there was no funding for a much-needed upgrade to Gundaroo and William Slim Drives, which together form the other major commute route out of Gungahlin, nor for fixing the bottlenecks on Flemington Road through Mitchell.

Transport projects summary:

$1.675 million for Gungahlin Town Centre Major Bus Station
$0.750 million Flemington Road Bus Priority Study
Bike and Ride and Park and Ride Facilities at Exhibition Park in Canberra
Bike and Ride Facilities in Harrison
$5 million additional funding for the Morisset Road extension to the Federal Highway
$4 million for Forde – Horse Park and Gundaroo Drives Intersection Upgrades
$1 million upgrade to Phillip Ave/Majura Ave intersection

Already funded projects 2009–10:

Construction of the Gungahlin Drive Extension—Stage 2 (Est. 2010–11 Exp. of $20 million)
Construction of Clarrie Hermes Drive Extension to the Barton Highway (Est. 2010–11 Exp. of $8.3 million)
Construction of Wells Station Drive Extension to Horse Park Drive (Est. 2010–11 Exp. of $7 million)

Education

GCC’s lobbying about the already overcrowded Harrison Primary School—ACT’s newest public school—has paid off, with the announcement that design work would commence for a Preschool to Grade 2 Early Childhood School at Franklin.

“We’re pleased to see the Government has acknowledged our concerns about Harrison School already turning away students from its own priority catchment,” said Mr Kerlin, “but it will be important that the same mistake is not made for the new school to be built at Bonner.

“It’s good too that they have listened to community concerns that a single-court gymnasium would be inadequate for the combined Harrison Primary and High School, and has agreed to upgrade this to a two-court facility.”

Education projects summary:

$2 million for construction of a Second Gymnasium Court at Harrison High School
$1.8 million design for Bonner Primary School
$1.4 million design for Franklin Early Childhood School

Already funded projects 2009–10:

Construction of Gungahlin College (Est. 2010–11 Exp. of $35.077 million), including $3.2 million for CIT campus
Construction of Harrison High School (Est. 2010–11 Exp. of $28 million)

Sports

“After a period of seeming stagnation for several key sports infrastructure projects, it’s pleasing to see some funding for these now, with allocations to the Gungahlin Enclosed Oval and stadium, the Aquatic and Gymnasium Centre, and the Throsby District Playing Fields,” said Mr Kerlin.

Sports projects:

$6.5 million for Infrastructure Works at the Gungahlin Wellbeing Precinct (enclosed oval and stadium)
$1.460 million design for Gungahlin Aquatic and Leisure Centre
$0.5 million design for Throsby District Playing Fields Complex

Environment

“We are very excited to see the wetlands park project we first proposed back in May 2007 get a Guernsey in this budget,” said Mr Kerlin. “This idea is for a very different town park from those in the other town centres around Canberra, and which would also serve as a source of water for irrigating the proposed enclosed oval rather than using treated town water.”

GCC envisaged the park also serving as an environmental ‘learnscape’ for the students of the adjacent Burgmann Anglican School, the Gungahlin College, and the Gungahlin Scouts. An upgraded scout hall could accommodate an expanded role that dovetails into the park.

Environmental projects:

$6.5 million for The Valley Ponds and Stormwater Harvesting Scheme

Planning

A $300,000 allocation for ‘Gungahlin Town Centre Roads’ was not prominent among the budget announcements, but GCC believes this is earmarked for helping to remove traffic from the town centre’s main street.

“Early in Gungahlin’s history, someone apparently thought it would ‘kick start’ the town centre by directing Flemington Road traffic directly into the main street,” said Mr Kerlin. “But this has quickly backfired with heavy traffic now causing a lot of safety problems and near misses.

“We’ve proposed that Hibberson Street be converted into a ‘shared zone’—a low-speed environment where pedestrians and cars are on even footings, much like Childers Street near ANU. Hopefully this funding is about investigating this proposal.”

Planning projects summary:

$0.3 million feasibility for Gungahlin Town Centre Roads

Health

The Health Minister has advised the $18 million Community Health Centre planned for Ernest Cavanagh Street in the Gungahlin Town Centre will proceed.

The Community Health Centre will be welcomed by the Gungahlin community. However GCC has been lobbying for the ACT Government to abandon plans to purchase Calvary Hospital, saying it will never be able to accommodate the northside hospital needs as both Gungahlin and Molonglo grow towards their design populations.

“GCC believes that the ACT Government should earmark a large section of the 40 hectare CZ2 Business Zone land immediately east of the town centre for a major third hospital, and immediately start masterplanning development that would avoid the ad hoc design problems that have plagued both the Canberra Hospital and Calvary,” said Mr Kerlin. “Instead this budget continues to pump millions of dollars into a hospital the ACT doesn’t even own.”

Health projects:

Community Health Centre to proceed

Other Issues

Government shopfront

"There is no funding for an ACT Government shopfront in this budget, despite this being a key promise in the ALP-Greens Agreement," said Mr Kerlin. "This is an important facility for Gungahlin residents, and currently one more thing that we all have to commute out for. With our incredible population growth and the high volume of land transaction here, Gungahlin needs a shopfront to government services. It also needs to be a free-standing facility, and we trust the government isn't intending to try to squeeze something into the library now under construction."

Office accommodation

Budget information on planned land sales is not clear on whether the government plans to release further land for commercial office and retail developments in the town centre.

"The government needs to get some of this land out onto the market," said Mr Kerlin. "We need a major tenant or two to bring us local jobs, and it can never happen until the government puts suitable blocks of land up for sale. Instead of trying to second-guess the market, they need to put the ;and out there, and let the market decide."