Anne-Louise Dawes is an independent candidate for Murrumbidgee running for Independents for Canberra, and a former senior executive in the Australian Public Service.

The ACT Labor party has changed tack and ‘listened’ to the people of the electorate of Murrumbidgee, publishing their ‘Regional Plan’ for Woden and Weston Creek. It is a plan that is hard to fault, mainly because much of it is already happening and the rest is light on detail.

‘More’ car parking around the Woden Hospital will certainly be welcomed by all who visit, but given the lack of available land around the hospital, people will be keen to understand: how, when and at what cost?

These same questions are frequently asked in relation to the light rail: how, when and at what cost?

The people of the Murrumbidgee electorate, with their fondness for wandering green spaces and using active transport, are eager to understand more about what is planned for Southlands Mawson, Woden Westfield, Cooleman Court, and the Curtin shops precincts. Each of these areas is affected by construction in various ways, large and small. Navigating the lack of parking, construction fencing, and detour signs is becoming increasingly challenging for anyone with mobility issues.

Construction hazards – our key growth industry in Murrumbidgee, it seems – are the cost of well-needed enhancement in this part of the Capital. For the time being, people seem reasonably accepting and patient, particularly while they can enjoy a coffee, a public toilet and a playground at an alternative like Chifley shops. Nicknamed ‘Bondi’ during the pandemic, people gathered at Chifley, for the luxury of open space, a coffee poked out through a window, and a public toilet.

If this model is successful, could some investment in supporting other smaller village shops, which are usually wonderfully accessible to those residents who prefer to walk, ride, or wheel to their neighbourhood stores, help bridge the gap in services as the people of the delightfully growing Molonglo Valley come to Woden and Weston in search of services?

As the Molonglo Valley grows, can we understand: how, when and at what cost will these enhancements be completed so that the pressure on the existing larger centres is lessened?

The ‘new’, just in time for the election, plan for Woden and Weston, is largely silent on housing and homelessness. With the exception of a promise to ‘talk’ about build-to-rent near Woden Westfield. This may be because the rezoning of many blocks in Woden to allow a second dwelling remains the strategy, in addition to apartment complexes, to increase the housing supply. The uptake of the rezoning measure seems slow, as people are deterred by the large cost of the necessary lease change.

People of Murrumbidgee are concerned about increases to residential rates. If the rezoning of land has precipitated rate increases due to higher theoretical property values, but this higher value cannot be realised because of the prohibitive costs of doing so, questions arise about the purpose of the rezoning of 50,000 blocks. A question for Treasury, perhaps. Meanwhile, the housing issue remains unresolved.

The Woden and Weston Creek areas are some of the best places to live in the Capital, and understanding the vision for the future is exciting as we grow and build the kind of precincts we want to live in. To help our residents grasp the vision, strategy, details and costs, we need to invigorate the local sport of ‘questioning in estimates’ by recruiting new members to the Legislative Assembly. In a political town, people don’t need contrived political conflict – they yearn for robust discussion, collaboration and aspiration. They want to understand the vision and have a voice in shaping the future.

If Independents for Canberra are hearing people correctly, they are asking: how, when and at what cost?