As your local Labor member for Belconnen, I’ve been engaged on what matters to you and provided new energy. I get things done. Just a handful of highlights in my first term of parliament include:
Infrastructure
✅ Construction of the Belco Bikeway – 4.7 kilometres connecting Florey to Bruce through the Town Centre
✅ Securing stimulus funding for an upgraded toilet block at John Knight Memorial Park – coming soon
✅ Completion of the Belconnen Arts Centre
✅ Securing a commitment to a feasibility study to widen the paths around Lake Ginninderra
Daily life improvements
✅ Delivering on Green waste bins
✅ Kerbside bulky waste pick-up (due 2021)
✅ More bins throughout the electorate, including
- 35 recycling bins
- Dog waste bag dispensers and bins at Palmerville Heritage Park and Lake Ginninderra dog park
✅ Local shops upgrades at Dunlop, Fraser, Melba and Spence
✅ Securing a water sensitive urban design trial for more and healthier trees in the Jamison car park (due to be planted early 2021)
✅ Bringing free wi-fi to Kippax, Hawker and Jamison shops and Belconnen Basketball Centre (following my petition)
✅ Securing a commitment to upgrade playgrounds in Aranda
Safe communities
✅ Lowering the speed limits on Bandjalong Crescent in Aranda and in the Belconnen Town Centre
✅ Securing the demolition of the abandoned Bupa building in Aranda
✅ Traffic lights at:
- Tillyard Drive, Lhotsky Street and Ginninderra Drive
- Springvale Drive and Belconnen Way (due to start end 2020)
- Owen Dixon Drive and Kuringa Drive (due to start end 2020)
- Starke Street and Southern Cross Drive (due to start end 2020)
- Florey, Page and Scullin intersections with Southern Cross Drive (federal blackspot funding following a concerted campaign)
✅ Duplication of William Slim Drive (tenders released in late August 2020)
Community support
✅ More than 170 “nightly check-ins” in a row on Facebook and Instagram during the pandemic
✅ Giving a hand on numerous sausage sizzles (pre-COVID!) at school fetes and Bunnings fundraisers
✅ Regular and ongoing support for charities and community groups across the electorate, including Florey Neighbourhood Watch, Lids4Kids, Children’s Tumour Foundation and Scullin Community Group
✅ Lake Ginninderra ‘rubbish sizzles’
✅ Patron of Pets and Positive Ageing
Standing up for what’s right
✅ Leading the campaign to restore Territory rights on voluntary assisted dying
✅ Improving governance and management at ACT private crematoriums, after an audit revealed weaknesses in record-keeping relating to the placement of ashes
In the Assembly, I’ve:
✅ Served on 13 committees
- More than 30 inquiries and reports
- Chair of two
- Deputy Chair of six
✅ Introduced and secured unanimous support for legislation so that families of an organ donor can have this recognised on their death certificate – an Australian first
✅ Advocated for and had motions passed calling for:
- A feasibility study for a fertility preservation service for Canberrans of reproductive age diagnosed with cancer or another serious disease that may impact on their fertility
- Options that allow for women to donate excess breast milk
- Improving the promotion and use of sustainable sanitary products and cloth nappies
- A review of existing legislation and the possible expansion of consumer protections for people buying second-hand motor vehicles in the ACT
- Improving sexual health outreach
- The condemnation of NSW Government protecting feral horses in the Kosciuszko National Park, which threaten the sensitive ACT ecosystem
✅ Worked as Special Secretary to the Chief Minister since 2019
✅ Served for four years as Government Whip
Read about ACT Labor's election commitments here.
How to vote for Tara
To keep me working for you, vote #1 Tara Cheyne and the rest of the Labor team in the order of your preference. 