Gungahlin news

Planning & development

The Gungahlin Community Council has accused the Labor Party's Member for Fraser Bob McMullan of welching on his pre-election commitment to halt Federal Government office relocations to the Canberra airport precinct.

The Department of Defence has agreed to lease two new sites in the Airport's business park - tenants GCC says should have come to Gungahlin.

"If Bob McMullan had kept his promise to stop Federal Government departments from relocating to the airport, Gungahlin could well have seen its first major office tenancies through this Defence relocation," said GCC President Alan Kerlin. "Instead he's allowed another key tenant to be crossed off the list for Gungahlin. 

"Of all the Federal departments in Canberra, Defence is the most logical one to establish a base in Gungahlin. It is far too big to be in a single location. There are already thousands of Defence staff living in Gungahlin. And with the rapid expansion of Defence Housing throughout Gungahlin, there's going to be far more Defence people in our area. Instead, now there will be hundreds more cars every day joining the crush on the Majura Road "parking lot".

Before the 2007 Federal Election, Bob McMullan told the Gungahlin Community Council's meet the candidates meeting that establishing a solid employment base was the most important issue facing Gungahlin. He was strongly critical of the Howard government for allowing uncontrolled office relocations to Brindabella Park. While he conceded that he couldn't change airport sale contract conditions that allowed offices to be built at the airport, if the ALP was elected to government he could "dry up supply" of tenants for those offices by preventing any more departments moving staff there.

"But Bob McMullan is still blaming the Howard Liberal Government. Mr McMullan has been in Government for two years, and these are decisions made on his watch. He can no longer blame someone else - it is time for Mr McMullan put his money where his mouth is and start delivering for the people of Gungahlin."

Mr McMullan claimed yesterday that "mistakes were easy to make but hard to fix."

"He's got that right," said Mr Kerlin. "And he's made a big one here. But it will be the residents and struggling business operators of Gungahlin paying the price for many years to come.

Territory Services

Planning & development

As a part of the overhaul and expansion of the ACT health system the ACT Government will develop community health centres at Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, City, and Dickson.

Enhanced Community Health Centres, providing a wider range of services, will also be developed at Phillip and Belconnen.

The centres are intended to reduce the reliance on hospitals while improving the quality of life and wellbeing in the local community. The centres will deliver extended health services aimed at assisting clients to manage acute and chronic conditions in the community.

Information about the design options is also at www.health.act.gov.au/communityconsultation

Comments can be made through the website, by email to yourhealthourpriority@act.gov.au or by mail to:
Your health — our priority,
Community Health Centre Design Options,
GPO Box 825
Canberra City
ACT 2601.

Comments will be received until 5.00pm Friday 6 November 2009.
For further information visit www.health.act.gov.au or email yourhealthourpriority@act.gov.au or contact Purdon Associates on 6257 1511.

Community & business

(As first published on the RiotACT)

Many of you in the North of Canberra are acutely aware of the ongoing Internet performance issues being experienced by residents the of Gungahlin, parts of Kaleen and even Watson.

If you have ever wondered why the Internet at your place never seem to work as well as your friend in Hackett, or Monash? This site may be able to help explain why.

It had always annoyed me that the Internet became almost unusable around 8:00pm each night and why no one seemed to want to fix it. I raised tickets with my ISP and received the same response each time.

Our Wholesale Provider has reported a congestion fault with your service, there is no ETA on its resolution at this time.

After months and months of heartache my apathy finally gave way to action. Much to my wife’s dismay I started a campaign to try and resolve the issue.

I have spent the greater part of the last month compiling data and researching the issue of poor Internet performance in Gungahlin. All of what I have found out I have published on a website www.actbroadband.net

Self promotion aside, I have managed to document the problem as well as my attempts to address the issue. I have set up monitoring of Internode infrastructure and generated a number of months worth of performance reports. I have also published all the correspondence I have had with my ISP and will have with Territory Legislative Assembly Members and Federal Members of Parliament.

I have prepared letters to all Legislative Assembly Representatives for Molonglo - posted on my site, as all the responses as I receive them.

If you at the level of frustrations as I am with the whole Internet thing, please contact me through the site. I am happy to hear from fellow Gungahlin residents who are having the same experience as I am. Numerous people have already contacted me with their support after visiting the site.

It is my intention to keep this an issue until it is resolved. There are 38,000 residents in the Gungahlin area, the majority of which are suffering as I am. Any support in this endeavour will be greatly appreciated.

___________________________________________________________________

Alan Kerlin: ABC Radio 666's Genevieve Jacobs picked up this issue and interviewed Russell, myself, David Forman from the Competitive Carrier’s Coalition, and Chris Taylor, Managing Director for Telstra Country Wide ACT. You can listen to the interviews here, with thanks to the ABC for covering this important issue for us.

ABC 666 Radio Gungahlin Broadband interviews 30 September 2009

Read more: Gungahlin's frustrating broadband service

Community & business

The ACT Government's 2010 Sport and Recreation Grants Program is open for applications.

Grants can assist eligible organisations to support participation in active lifestyles through the delivery of quality programs, services and facilities for the benefit of the Canberra community.

Applications close on Friday  9 October 2009 (5pm).

Applications for funding are submitted online at http://www.tams.act.gov.au/play/sport_and_recreation/funding in the following categories:

• Operational Assistance (Annual);
• Community Sport and Recreation Development Assistance; and
• Capital Assistance

Organisations interested in applying and who require further information should contact David Maloney, Grants Officer, Sport and Recreation Services on 6207 2055 or email David.Maloney@act.gov.au

Community & business

Talk and Taste Test with Rachel Bermingham, author of the "4 Ingredients" cook book

Friday 2 October
10.30am - 11.15am
Gungahlin Library

Join Rachel at Gungahlin Library to hear her speak about the inception, launch and success of her books, and to taste some of the delicious creations that can be made using her cook books.

Rachel Bermingham is co-author of the bestselling 4 Ingredients series of cook books, and the author of Read My Lips and How to Write A Book and Make It A Bestseller.

A motivational speaker, business woman and a mum, she has over twenty years combined experience in development, business, time managementand goal strategising.

Rachel wrote her first book while feeding her new born son, her second book during his day sleeps, the third when he went to bed, and the fourth in between everything else!

The 4 Ingredients cook book was co-authored with Rachel's best friend Kim and has sold more than 1.5 million copies.

Bookings online www.library.act.gov.au or by phone on 6205 9000

Planning & development

The debate arount density flared up again at the launch of Sustainable House Day at the CSIRO Discovery Centre on 8 September 2009, with the Australian Institute of Architects' ACT President David Flannery continuing his attack on suburbs in general and Gungahlin in particular. There was also a presentation by the ACT Planning and Land Authority's Director of Planning Services Kelvin Walsh on upcoming new suburbs.

GCC President Alan Kerlin has previously spoken out on these issues, including on ABC Stateline, and was invited to the launch to respond to these speakers. Following is the transcript of his responses.

Response to Australian Institute of Architects’ David Flannery:

There is much of the arguments put by the Australian Institute of Architects that is valid. There does need to be increased density in some areas closer to city centres—all of the city centres, not just Civic.

And there are certainly some areas of Gungahlin—altogether too many areas—that are truly cringe-worthy. There are places where I have to focus very intently on the road ahead of my while driving through them so as to avoid looking up in despair. But these areas are not our fault. They were created by politicians and planners and architects and builders both past and present. People bought them often because they were the only places available in a land-stock starved market.

But the AIA have mixed valid arguments up with an unfounded attack on the suburbs in which many of us choose to live.

Read more: GCC President fires back at attacks on suburbs

Environment

Sustainable House Day is on this Sunday 13/9/09 from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

There are eight homes open for inspection around Canberra, and entry is free.
Two are in Harrison (includes ours), one in Murrumbateman, two in Watson, and one in each of Narrabundah, Duffy and Lyneham.

Details of all the house locations are:

Read more: Check out some green home design ideas this Sunday

Education

'Alexander Bunyip' from the famous children’s book The Monster that ate Canberra will be immortalised in bronze outside the new Gungahlin Library.

The Gungahlin Community Council's campaign for a public art piece recognising the popular children's book by Michael Salmon has been successful, with ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope approving the idea for a sculpture.

Michael Salmon was visiting Harrison School on Friday 3 September, and helped us announce the successful outcome.

This is the book that introduced many Canberra children to reading, by allowing us to relate the book back to local monuments we knew so well.

GCC suggested such a statue would be ideally located outside the new Gungahlin Library currently under construction on the corner of Hibberson and Gozzard Streets in the Gungahlin town centre.

Read more: Bunyip coming to Gungahlin - Statue campaign pays off

Community & business

You’re invited to meet ACT Government Ministers as part of the new Cabinet in the Community initiative.

This is a great opportunity to hear about new initiatives in Gungahlin and to meet informally with Ministers over morning tea.

Date: Saturday 22 August (10:30am to 12:00pm)

Venue: Harrison School Library, Wimmera Street, Harrison.

Through Cabinet in the Community the ACT Government is continuing its commitment to outline its vision for the city’s future and to listen to community views and suggestions.

For more information, please phone Canberra Connect on 13 22 81 or email GovtSupport@act.gov.au

Community & business

The Gungahlin Little Athletics Centre (GUNLAC) was established in 2003. The Centre is a member of the Australian Little Athletics Association.

GUNLAC's aim is to provide and foster athletics amongst young people, through friendly competition, in a well-run, safe and enjoyable environment.

The upcoming season commences on Sat 17th Oct 2009. Registration days will be conducted on Sat 12th Sep and Sun 20th Sep (10am-2pm) outside Woolworths at the Gungahlin Marketplace.

A 'come and try' day will be held on Sat 10th Oct. For more information, check out our website at www.registerhere.com.au/gunlac

Planning & development

The Canberra Muslim Community have provided the plans for their proposed Mosque and Community Centre for Nicholls.

Further background can be found below and here

Environment

Walk through Goorooyarroo

Come join a walking group for a brisk stroll through Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve (Mulligans Flat 's neighbour!).

Ranger Grant will take us through the park giving us an opportunity to learn more of the less talked about, but equally important, nature reserve.

When: Sunday 9th August
Time: 10am - 12pm
Where: Meet at "The Rocks" carpark, off Horse Park Drive (not too far from the Federal Highway)

Transport

THE time for public submissions into the environmental impact of the Majura Parkway expired this week.

But the trouble with the parkway is not environmental – it goes through a bit of clapped out kangaroo and cattle country. The problem is more an economic one and one of federal-territory relations.

Incidentally, isn’t it pitiful that road authorities can give the name “parkway” to a belt of harsh concrete containing cars belching out noxious gases and tyre noise. I can’t imagine anything further from the meaning of a park.

The background documents for the new freeway all suggest that its construction is a foregone conclusion. Further, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said that the corridor would also contain a very fast train if it were constructed.

I hate to use the cliché crossroads, but perhaps it is apposite here. Canberra’s transport system is at the crossroads. Do we continue to go down the route (pardon the pun) of Sydney and Los Angeles and assume that constructing ever more expensive freeways will solve all traffic problems?

Canberra as a planned city was supposed to avoid traffic congestion. It was supposed to have four or five roughly equal commercial-residential centres, instead of the high-density centre that other cities have. But development interests over the years wore away that principle in favour of a high-density centre because that’s how developers make money.

The trouble is, Canberrans still wanted to drive to work and park easily, and transport planners bowed to the demand. Tuggeranong “Parkway” and Gungahlin Drive were built, and even in a small place like Canberra instantly became clogged at peak times.

It is economically foolish to continue this way. We have wasted $200 million on Gungahlin Drive and we will waste another $250 million on Majura Parkway. And no doubt another several hundred million on a Molonglo Parkway. We do this because we stupidly think that it is efficient and convenient to have a transport system that in order to take an 80 kilogram body to the centre of the city requires 500 kilograms of metal and plastic to go with it.

We do it because no government is prepared to bear the opprobrium of going through the hiatus period in which people are weaned off their cars on to a public transport system which initially is not very attractive.

The present bus service is nowhere near reliable or frequent enough to allow most families to ditch one or more of their cars. Nor is it frequent enough for people to duck out of work during the day for personal matters – across town to the dentist or back home to meet a plumber or whatever.

It can only become more reliable, more frequent and cheaper to run and use if more people use it. But that will not happen while governments go on providing cheap, long-term parking (directly, or indirectly through development conditions which require parking spaces) and ever more freeways.

In the short term, freeways and masses of parking will appease the masses, but in the long term the masses have to pay – one way or the other — for the obvious inefficiency of carrying 580 kilograms per person per journey. Cars can only move 2500 people an hour in each lane. Buses can move nearly 10 times that and rail 20 times. Once you get a population the size of Canberra’s you simply cannot provide enough roads if everyone wants to go to work by car. The Majura Parkway will get clogged at peak periods fairly quickly.

The costs come in congestion; pollution; poor-returning land use in the form of parking, freeways and personal garaging; and high fuel costs.

The Parkway will benefit some in the long term, though – the airport for example. For the airport, VFT does not stand for Very Fast Train but Very Fast Trucks.

The only danger for the airport in the Majura Parkway is that it might open a corridor for a very fast train. The road on its own would be fine for the airport because trucks, unlike trains, do not carry passengers.

But cutting the time a truck gets to Sydney from the airport would be a boon. From the time the curfew stops flights in Sydney at 11pm to around 4am freight coming in to Canberra by air could be in Sydney CBD before any freight arriving in Sydney after the curfew lifts at 6am.

The Majura Parkway will also solve a lot of traffic problems near the airport caused by poor federal-territory co-ordination on planning that allowed a major commercial centre to be built at the airport site. No-one can live near this commercial hub because of the noise so people have to commute at peak times.

The $250 million for just 11.5 kilometres of road will not be well spent. That same money could go a long way to improve bus frequency – a more efficient use of existing roads. Or to start light rail which will move people more efficiently and reap revenue from increased land prices around railway stations that come with the permanence of a rail.

Alas, however, nearly all the $250 million will be coming from the Federal Government, so it is hardly likely the ACT Government will refuse it, no matter how much better it could be spent elsewhere.

The two governments should be co-ordinating better transport options for Canberra not squandering $250 million on just 11.5 kilometres of road that might help the airport and temporarily relieve a few Gungahlin-Fyshwick-Tuggeranong commuters but will be of little benefit to the great majority of Canberrans.

As for the Very Fast Train, it should not be part of the equation. The train could use the Majura corridor with or without the parkway and the parkway could use it with or without the train.

And in any event, one of the prime efficiencies of trains is that they take people from central to central, and so any VFT should have a station at Parliament House and Civic.

We should go back to the drawing boards.

Reproduced from Crispin Hull's Blog - http://www.crispinhull.com.au/