The ACT Budget and Weston Creek

The Major Items announced in the ACT Budget affecting Weston Creek and Molonglo.

The following are the main items identified in the ACT Budget that affect us in Weston Creek and Molonglo:

Health and Hospitals

• Walk in Centres – Weston Creek – $2,000,000
  The Government will continue to plan for Canberra’s fourth Walk in Centre in the Weston Creek region, to add to the network of existing centres across Canberra. This will build on previous design work with the Walk in Centre expected to open in 2019. Comment from Council: we are still unclear on where this is to be located. Council considers that it should be in and around Cooleman Court to enable good access for everyone.

Transport

• Active Travel
  • The Government will improve and expand pedestrian and cycling infrastructure to ensure it is safe, sustainable, attractive to the community and easy to use. This initiative will also invest in off-road bikeway network, providing improved signage and connections to Canberra’s off-road bikeway network. It will also expand the Active Streets for Schools program, and complete the Lyons to Weston Creek (Heysen Drive) cycle path link.
  • Council Comment: We have no timing to the Lyons to Weston Creek link but it is very welcome.

Infrastructure

• Swimming Pool – $32,000,000 (Not entirely new spending)
  For the construction of the Weston Creek and Stromlo swimming pool and leisure centre.
  • Council Comment: work is due to begin soon and the Centre is scheduled to be open in early 2020
• John Gorton Drive and Molonglo River Bridge Crossing – $1,250,000– The Government will undertake the next phase of planning and design of a bridge across the Molonglo River and the extension of John Gorton Drive to facilitate future land releases in the Molonglo Valley.
  • Council Comment: Council urges the ACT Government to bring forward the building of this bridge so that access between the two parts of Molonglo are provided a better ans safer link.
• Molonglo Valley Infrastructure – $33,000,000 -This project is to develop road and water infrastructure, which facilitates land releases for the new suburb of Whitlam in the Molonglo Valley.
• East-West Arterial Road from John Gorton Drive to Tuggeranong Parkway – $300,000 –This early planning will investigate the realignment of the East-West arterial road at Molonglo from John Gorton Drive to the Tuggeranong Parkway.

Education

• Schools – New Molonglo Primary School – $42,000,000 – The new Molonglo Primary School will provide places for 600 students from Kindergarten to Year 6 and places for 44 pre-schoolers with space for future growth. The school will be ready to accept students from the start of the 2021 school year. The funding delivered through this Budget will also support the preparation of services for a future Year 7 to 10 campus on the same site.
• Private School In Molonglo – Land for a private School in Molonglo in North Wright will be auctioned by 2022.

Environment

• Waterways – Preservation of Molonglo River Corridor – $3,200,000 – The Government is investing in the protection of our native species and their habitat by undertaking ecological conservation works in the Molonglo River Reserve. As part of the Molonglo Valley Plan for the Protection of Matters of National Environmental Significance.
• Urban Services – There will be more funding for mowing, weeding, cleaning up graffiti, maintaining local waterways and tree trimming.

Rates continue to rise in Weston Creek and Molonglo

• In this weeks Budget, average rate rises in Weston Creek for houses was around 5% and Units 9%.
  Please see the attached Table for individual suburbs to see the average rates in your suburb and what the average rate rise is.
• Estimated Average Household Rates Bill for 2018-19 (Source: Canberra Times)
   

  Suburb	Houses	%Rise	Increase		Units	%Rise	Increase
  Chapman	$3,017	5.7%	$164		$1,554	12.9%	$177
  Coombs	$2,182	8.1%	$164		$1,297	10.8%	$126
  Duffy	$2,365	5.1%	$115		$1,574	9.1%	$131
  Fisher	$2,334	4.1 %	$92		$1,406	11.1%	$141
  Holder	$2,313	5.2%	$114		$1,612	8.0%	$120
  Rivett	$2,162	4.6%	$96		$1,632	8.4%	$126
  Stirling	$2,269	4.7%	$102		$1,564	8.2%	$118
  Waramanga	$2,271	4.6%	$99		$1,615	9.0%	$134
  Weston	$2,386	5.2%	$119		$1,592	8.2%	$120
  Wright	$2,336	6.3%	$138		$1,070	14.8%	$138

There will be a community-led process that will give Canberrans a say in where funds for playgrounds should be targeted to provide the most community benefit.