ACT Budget: Tuggeranong

The ACT Government will invest more than $15 million over four years to upgrade suburban infrastructure in Tuggeranong: recreation facilities, playgrounds, safer and more accessible footpaths, and local shops.

The budget funding includes upgrading the Lakeside Leisure Centre in Grenway, seating at Gordon Oval and cricket nets at Gowrie, female-friendly changerooms in Calwell and Chisholm, and upgrading the Tuggeranong Skate Park; renewing playgrounds in Bonython, Conder, Gilmore, Isabella Plains, Kambah and Wanniassa; $5 million for footpaths and $2.5 million for lighting; and upgrades at the Erindale Group Centre.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr MLA and treasurer Chris Steel MLA said the projects deliver on government election commitments, and reflect community priorities.

“This is a practical investment in Tuggeranong’s future that’s based on the feedback we’ve heard from the community about what matters most to them,” Mr Barr said. “We’re making sure our suburbs are better connected and have the infrastructure they need as Canberra grows.”

“No matter where you live in Tuggeranong, we will continue to make sure that you have the services and infrastructure to support current and future Canberrans,” Mr Steel said.

ACT Greens MLA Laura Nuttall welcomed the “long overdue” funding, but called for more ambition.

In her view, the government must begin work on a full upgrade of the Tuggeranong Skatepark.

“While the government is right to take some action … the minor upgrades are far from what the community has consistently asked for and what was unanimously agreed to by in my Assembly motion last year.”

Ms Nuttall was pleased to see additional funding for sports facilities — sporting groups had asked for upgrades to the Chisholm changerooms during last year’s election, she noted — but she also criticised what she described as piecemeal investment in community sport.

“These investments in Tuggeranong are irregular, and because they’re irregular don’t match the actual needs of the sporting community. When it comes to community sports, we need long-term planning for larger projects instead of piecemeal funding. Fixing what is most broken is not enough; Tuggeranong deserves to have serious, ambitious infrastructure projects under consideration.”

Ms Nuttall was disappointed the budget did not include funding for an ice rink; increased funding for active travel; “desperately needed” upgrades to public transport, so the public could travel without the expenses of a car; or revitalising the Richardson shops, currently “a rundown empty building”, and one of Ms Nuttall’s causes.

Canberra Hospital: Veterans’ lounge

Canberra Hospital has opened a Veterans’ Lounge as part of its $660 million expansion, offering a quiet and comfortable space for current and former military members who are patients, visitors and their families.

The lounge. in the refurbished Building 2 foyer, includes reading spaces, a television, and a workspace.

“This is a significant space that shows that veterans and their families are welcome and supported here at Canberra Hospital,” health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA said.

Outdoor spaces for veterans and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be established later this year.

The Yamba Drive entrance remains closed as redevelopment works continue. Patients, visitors and staff should use Hospital Road to access Canberra Hospital’s main entry, reception, and emergency department. For more information, visit: Canberra Hospital getting here & getting around – Canberra Health Services.

Members sought for Therapeutic Support Panel

The ACT Government is seeking new members for its Therapeutic Support Panel, which supports children and young people with complex needs who are at risk of harmful behaviour.

The Panel was established in 2023, when the ACT raised the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years. Since then, many children and young people who display harmful behaviour have been referred to the Panel, rather than being caught in the criminal justice system — “a response that hindered rather than helped their rehabilitation,” Michael Pettersson MLA, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, said.

Most had complex trauma and experienced family violence; more than half were disabled or mentally ill; many had dropped out of school, homeless, used drugs and alcohol, and in trouble with the police.

The panel takes a therapeutic, rather than a punitive, approach to prevent further harmful behaviour. Services include therapy, counselling, drug and alcohol support, and restorative justice.

The Panel has 10 members, chaired by Dr Justin Barker.

Expressions of interest are open for three weeks.