Check against delivery

At our last sitting I had the privilege of sponsoring two petitions from over 180 Canberrans.

The petitioners called for the ACT Government to fund in the 2017-2018 Budget the 2016 Election Commitment of a Giralang Community Park election promise in the 2017.

The Giralang community showed their support for this parGik, and as I’ve mentioned before in the chamber, their strong desire to be included with decision making for their suburb.

Yesterday I was thrilled to confirm that the Labor Government had listened to Giralang and committed the funding for the park in this year’s budget.

I am proud to represent Giralang, and would like to thank residents for their trust and willingness to get on board, and participate in politics.

I’ve certainly received a few puzzled looks and remarks about the need to run a petition, as a member of the Government.

As a backbencher, I am not privy to budget decisions but I do have extra opportunity to be out in the electorate and work with the community. We are stronger when we work together.

I would also like to thank the ACT Government for their responsiveness.

This is a great way to be encouraging more nature into our suburbs. And it’s important we do this as the natural environment has a great capacity to enrich the built environment of our city.

Integration between these two elements can be done through well-considered planning and engagement with the community.

Giralang is a Radburn suburb, one that was designed for community use, for the environment and for pedestrians.

The footpaths in Giralang, like many Belconnen suburbs, lead to a central point where the community can come together.

In Giralang, this central area is currently home to the Giralang Primary School, the Pre School and the Chabad Centre, with the Community Centre and playing fields nearby.

This park provides a focal point at the heart of Giralang for everyone to come together.

Parks provide a recreation space for everyone - for kids to play and for adults to get together and have chat.

But I am a firm believer in community engagement, and the specific elements of the park should be based on what the community wants.

Which is why in the coming months I plan to engage the Giralang community very closely to get their perspective on options for their park.

This park should be flexible to the community’s needs, and take the surrounding area into account.

I’ve had many ideas put to me over the last few months from residents and local groups who want to see the space reach its full potential.

I hope this space will serve as a demonstration of what we can achieve through community engagement.

I look forward to working further with the Giralang community to develop a plan for their park.