Hi there!

It’s been a busy first half of 2022 – and plenty has been happening in and around Belconnen and across the city. Now we are into the third year of the pandemic, I hope your day to day activities have returned to life as usual and that you are staying healthy. If you haven’t yet got around to it, I strongly encourage you to get your flu shot.

Due to the pandemic our free barbecues at Lake Ginninderra have taken a break, but we’ll be back later this  year. Keep an eye on my Facebook page for our spring barbecue near John Knight Memorial Park .

As always, you can contact me by calling 6205 0100, emailing [email protected] or chatting to me in person at one of my regular mobile offices at
Jamison.

Lake Ginninderra Path Widening

In 2020 there was a huge response to my petition regarding the need to widen the paths around Lake Ginninderra. Following this support, ACT Labor committed to a feasibility study that has now been completed.

Key opportunities identified by the feasibility study included:

• Path improvements, including path widening and better drainage
• New and upgraded paths to improve connectivity
• Lighting improvements to key commuting corridors
• New and upgraded seating to support recreation and the exercise routines of a range of people, particularly ensuring seniors have regular opportunities to rest
• New water refill stations to support healthy and active lifestyles
• Signage upgrades to improve navigation around the lake foreshore
• Community feedback will be used to inform the prioritisation of future improvements to the path network, particularly where upgrades of the path network should take place

You can read the feasibility study and keep up to date with the next steps here.

The study has separated the areas around Lake Ginninderra into seven sections. If you have a view on where and what should be prioritised for upgrades, I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can email me at [email protected]

Belconnen Service Centre Opening

It’s been almost six months since the new Access Canberra Belconnen Service Centre opened. In that time, staff have served more than 30,000 customers, assisting with over 50,000 transactions - the most transactions of any of the service centres.

I joined the team to open the centre and thank them for their extraordinary work. Feedback from customers since the opening has also been incredibly positive, noting the larger location, increase in counters, and larger waiting area.

My top tips for visiting a centre are:

1. Check you can’t do the transaction online (almost all can be done from the comfort of your home!)

2. Consider the day and time you visit – Mondays and Fridays are busiest, along with lunchtimes each day. Service Centres are open 9am-5pm weekdays. The quieter times are between 1pm and 3pm. You can check current wait times here. 

3. Make sure you have all the required documentation to complete your transaction.

Lake Ginninderra Refresh

You’ll notice a lot happening around Lake Ginninderra at the moment, as part of the City Refresh program:

• At Emu Bank we are building new garden beds, stepping stones and improving drainage near the skate park
• Diddams Close dog park is getting new grass and improvements to the drainage and irrigation system. The temporary fence will remain until the new grass is established
• John Knight Memorial Park fountain maintenance works is why it was turned off
  The bubbler near the new toilets is being replaced
• Mulching and general landscaping works around Lake Ginninderra are underway
• Duckweed and other organic material that affects the lake’s health are being removed
• Netting has been installed near Belconnen Arts Centre to protect the water plants

Upcoming Belco Arts exhibitions

The following works will open at 6pm on Friday 8 July at Belco Arts and will be on display until 21 August:

• Life Source by Leah Brideson: a collection of works that speak of culture and Country as the foundations of life
• Step Change by Alexander Boynes, Mandy Martin and Tristen Parr: a large-scale painting, video and sound work that explores the urgent need to transition in the age of climate crisis
• My Greece by Michael Winters: intended to show how much of the artist’s creative life is entwined with Greece
• Colonisation by Jennifer Kemarre Martinello OAM: challenging dominant socio-culture taboos by
  breaking silences shrouding colonisation by documenting the artist’s Cancer Journey

Belco Bikeway stage two starts rolling

Construction has kicked off on Stage 2 of the Belconnen Bikeway along Battye Street in Bruce – delivering on an election commitment for more active travel infrastructure.

The dedicated bikeway will better connect the C3 cycle route from Belconnen Town Centre through to the University of Canberra, Radford College and the Canberra Institute of Technology’s Bruce campus.

Key features of the second stage include a new off-road cycle path along the eastern side of Haydon Drive from College Street towards Purdie Street (linking in with the first stage of works) and an off-road cycleway on the northern side of Battye Street from Haydon Drive for the length of the road.

Road resurfacing

With all the rain we’ve had, there have been a lot of questions about road resurfacing. You can see the planned resurfacing works and read the FAQs here.

A Multicultural Recognition Act for Canberra

As Minister for Multicultural Affairs, I was pleased to release a draft of a Multicultural Recognition Act for Canberra. This will be formally introduced into the Legislative Assembly later this year. The draft legislation includes a multicultural charter – guiding principles which define what we strive to be, including being welcoming to everyone. You can read the draft legislation and learn how to participate in the consultation here.

Bulky waste pick up

A reminder that the ACT Government’s bulky waste collection entitles you to one free pick up each year. It’s a convenient way to dispose of unwanted bulky household items. Items collected through the service are sorted and repurposed where possible. Available booking dates are online for single unit dwellings. Residents in apartments or townhouses with shared waste arrangements can have their strata manager arrange the collection on their behalf. More information here.

I wish you, your family and your friends a safe and happy winter with (hopefully) a lot of sunshine

Until next time,