Canberra Daily’s February 2021 highlights include the fallout from a dramatic stabbing in Page, a furious response from Canberra’s Indigenous community to the ACT Government rejecting an AMC inquiry, and a regional breakdown of the 2020-21 ACT Budget.
Man charged over extraordinary Page stabbing
In late February 2021, a 35-year-old man, Wajid Kakar, was charged by ACT Policing with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder in relation to an extraordinary incident on Braine Street, Page on Saturday 20 February.
Police charged him with murdering his 34-year-old housemate, Michael Williams, and the attempted murders of a 28-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman.
ACT Policing Criminal Investigations Detective Superintendent Scott Moller described the Page death as a “tragic” incident for those involved and the community.
“It was a terrible scene, there was a lot of blood and for the responding police and paramedics that went there, it was terrible.”
Detective Superintendent Moller said police who responded to the call arrived at an “unpredictable and very dangerous” scene.
“They were confronted by an armed offender who they were able to disarm and arrest and transport to hospital,” he said.
Regional breakdown of the 2020-21 ACT Budget
In the 2020-21 ACT Budget, the Barr Government slated a $914 million investment in infrastructure and capital projects in 2020-21 and $4.3 billion from 2020-21 to 2023-24.
Representing the Territory’s largest-ever infrastructure investment platform, Canberra Daily broke down the Budget by region to show how each of Canberra’s satellite towns would benefit.
Key items in the 2020-21 Infrastructure Investment Program include works right across town such as: new high schools in Kenny and Taylor; a new primary school in Throsby and expanding the Margaret Hendry primary school in Taylor; a new 250 megawatt ‘large-scale’ battery storage system; the extension of John Gorton Drive and Molonglo River Bridge project; building light rail to Woden and raising London Circuit; building a new Woden CIT Campus and Bus Interchange, and more.
Indigenous advocates furious government rejected proposed AMC inquiry
Indigenous and social service advocates were angered and disappointed that a proposed investigation into systemic racism at the Alexander Maconochie Centre was denied by the ACT Government.
Instead, Minister for Corrections Mick Gentleman replaced the Canberra Liberals motion – made on behalf of Indigenous Canberrans – with an amendment to continue a review into the ACT’s high Indigenous incarceration rates.
“I’m furious, to be quite honest,” Julie Tongs OAM, CEO of Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Service, said.
“But I’m not surprised that the motion was watered down. This Labor-Green Government are progressive on selective issues. Unfortunately, Aboriginal disadvantage isn’t one of them.”
Raiders trial moved to old home ground in Queanbeyan
The Canberra Raiders’ only trial match before the 2021 season was moved to the club’s spiritual home in Queanbeyan, when they took on the Sydney Roosters at Seiffert Oval on Saturday 27 February.
The match was originally scheduled to be played at Leichardt Oval in Sydney, but the Greater Sydney lockdowns over the Christmas holiday period saw both clubs agree to move the game.
The pre-season contest was the first match for the Raiders at their former home ground since they played the Newcastle Knights in a trial in 2017.
Seiffert Oval served as the Raiders home ground for the first eight seasons of their existence, from 1982 to 1989 before moving to the then Bruce Stadium.
The last regular season encounter between the Raiders and Roosters at Seiffert was in round 18, 1989 with Tim Sheens as Raiders coach and Mal Meninga captain.
Meet the local who’s showing off Canberra on TikTok
Canberra’s Bri Williams got TikTok famous earlier this year sharing the sights and attractions of her hometown on the social media platform, determined to prove there’s more to the Nation’s Capital than politics.
The 26-year-old’s first video racked up more than 25,000 likes overnight, and she has continued to showcase the Territory ever since, acting as a “tour guide/big sister”.
“You can just turn on the news, you can just read anything that always states ‘today in Canberra’ – it puts us all into the one box, and the thing is, there is an identity beyond Parliament House that I don’t think the rest of Australia knows about,” she said.
Bri, who works for a consultancy firm and as a photographer, has shown off Canberra’s attractions across the food scene, the natural environment including popular walking trails, and places around town like Dirty Janes, Lonsdale Street, and the break room and axe throwing venue, Breakr.
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