Action needed now: GCC president Henley Samuel and vice-president Ralitsa Dimatrova in the town centre. Photo: Ian Bushnell.
Taken for granted. Out of sight. Out of mind.
That’s the mood in Gungahlin, Canberra’s, if not Australia’s, fastest-growing district, where infrastructure, services and jobs are failing to keep pace with its booming population.
Gungahlin Community Council has long advocated for the ACT Government to deliver more for the 18 suburbs it covers, but has become increasingly frustrated at infrastructure delays and the government’s apparent indifference to fostering employment opportunities.
The council has decided to take matters into its own hands by launching a comprehensive online community survey to gather the data to build a case to put to government and influence developers.
GCC president Henley Samuel said the area faces explosive growth with an expected 54 per cent surge in population by 2041.
Mr Samuel said that was not far off, and meant decisions needed to be made now on lots of things.
He said the survey would not only take the pulse of the community across a broad range of issues such as infrastructure, community facilities, roads, transport and healthcare, but provide evidence to convince government of the area’s immediate and medium-term needs.
Only about 8 per cent of journeys are by public transport and connectivity is limited to areas other than the city.
About 500 people have responded already, and early results show 87 per cent want more consultation on infrastructure and 75 per cent cite delayed projects, such as the long-awaited cinema, as hurting community vibrancy.
Mr Samuel said developers should not be allowed to sit on blocks indefinitely after promising a facility.
He said 81 per cent wanted to know what government strategies there were to attract job-creating commercial projects to Gungahlin, which was virtually a dormitory with most residents working in other parts of Canberra during the day.
“They think just putting more residents into the town centre is going to fix everything,” Mr Samuel said. “It’s not the case.”
Gungahlin deserved to have an employment hub like the other town centres.
“We don’t need more coffee shops,” Mr Samuel said, referring to the way developers fulfil their obligations for commercial space.
The proposed Northside Hospital would have been a great employer for Gungahlin, but the community was not even consulted about it, he said.
Mr Samuel said delays to the promised duplication of key roads, such as Gungahlin and Clarrie Hermes drives, meant vehicles were choking them during the morning exodus and evening return.
“It’s been an ongoing issue for ages, and when we had a meeting with them, what they’ve been saying is the government’s priority has changed, and they’re thinking moving forward that people may not have cars,” he said.
“But even the cities currently like Singapore duplicate all the roads, even if it’s just public transport. You still need to upgrade the infrastructure.”
While Gungahlin has the light rail link to the city, connectivity to other areas of Canberra was limited, and only 8 per cent of journeys are currently by public transport.
Mr Samuel said the council would use the survey to keep the government accountable and serve notice on the Yerrabi MLAs to work harder for their constituents.
“The MLAs need to be proactive, irrespective of what party [they’re in]. They need to come with one vision to see what they can achieve,” he said.
He added the survey was also an opportunity for the community to have a genuine say on the issues that were important to it.
Mr Samuel said the council was aiming for 1000 or more responses to accurately gauge community priorities and compile a body of evidence. Responses from Canberrans who live elsewhere were welcome.
The survey will close at the end of August.
