Better Suburbs Forum Member Pack Better Suburbs Forum Member Pack
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BETTER SUBURBS FORUM MEMBER PACK BETTER SUBURBS FORUM MEMBER PACK ACCESSIBILITY Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) is committed to making its information accessible to as many people as possible. This report is available as a printed document, an accessible PDF and in HTML on our website at www.tccs. act.gov.au. If you have difficulty reading a standard print document and need alternative formats; if you are deaf or hearing impaired; or if English is not your first language; you can get help from the following services: Canberra Blind Society: T (02) 62474580 National Relay Service: T 133677 Translating and Interpreting Service: T 131450 For further information please contact: Director, Governance and Business Solutions Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate T (02) 6205 8479 or visit our website at: www.tccs.act.gov.au Publication number: 18/0851 2 BETTER SUBURBS FORUM MEMBER PACK CONTENTS WELCOME . 4 THE FORUM MEMBER PACK . .5 WHAT IS A CITIZENS’ FORUM? . .6 THE BETTER SUBURBS PROGRAM. 7 OUR TASK TOGETHER – A BETTER SUBURBS STATEMENT FOR CANBERRA. 8 CITY SERVICES – AN OVERVIEW. .10 OUR CHANGING POPULATION. 12 POLICIES THAT RELATE TO CITY SERVICES. 14 BETTER SUBURBS FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY . 16 THE ACT GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL COUNCILS: A COMPARISON . 18 BUDGET SNAPSHOT 2018-19. .19 CITY SERVICES – ASSETS AND VALUE. 20 CITY SERVICES: DESCRIPTIONS BY SERVICE . 21 MOVING AROUND. 21 Focus = Roads. 21 Focus = Footpaths, verges and nature strips. 23 Focus = Street lights . .25 SUPPORTING PEOPLE AND ANIMALS . 26 Focus = Shopping centres . 26 Focus = Graffiti . .28 Focus = Responsible pet ownership . .29 Focus = Library services . .30 CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. 32 Focus = Waste and recycyling (household and public spaces) . 32 Focus = Lakes, ponds and wetlands . 34 Focus = Stormwater . .36 Focus = Street and park trees . .38 USING LAND. 40 Focus = Playgrounds . .40 Focus = Maintaining public spaces . 42 Focus = Mowing of parks and open spaces . .43 Focus = Community ovals and fitness stations . .44 NOTES PAGES. 46 BETTER SUBURBS FORUM MEMBER PACK 3 WELCOME As Minister for Transport and City Services, I would “Canberra is growing and like to warmly thank you for taking part in the the changes in our city Better Suburbs Citizens’ Forum. need to be reflected in the Canberra is growing and the changes in our city city services we deliver.” need to be reflected in the delivery of city services. Each day, all of us experience our city services. I have gladly provided my authority for this Citizens’ Forum and am committed to putting the community at the centre of the process. You will play a valued role as part of a representative group of 40 community members. Together with up to 25 senior representatives from government, industry and non-government organisations, this Forum will plan for the right mix of city services for Canberra into the future. The outcome will be a Better Suburbs Statement, a plan to improve city services in Canberra. You will consider our shared vision and city servicing priorities so Canberra can remain a liveable and inclusive city. This is an exciting, innovative and genuine opportunity to influence the future of city services in the ACT. From roads to waste services, from streetlights to playgrounds, a broad range of essential amenities and services support day to day life in the ACT. At the end of this process, I will receive the Better Suburbs Statement, table it in the Legislative Assembly for noting, and publicly share it with the broader community. Following this, I will support the development of action plans to progress the priorities in the Statement. Yours Sincerely, Ms Meegan Fitzharris MLA 4 BETTER SUBURBS FORUM MEMBER PACK THE FORUM MEMBER PACK The aim of this Forum Member Pack is to provide Please read this Member Pack in preparation for you with information about: your role in the Forum. More detailed information on issues facing city services will be provided at • current city services the Forum through presentations by experts and • how these relate to the experience of the opportunities to meet the people that work on Canberra community the many city services. • challenges faced with a changing and growing population and competing demands for resources • feedback from the community on the quality and importance of city services. Each year the ACT Government invests significant resources to deliver a range of city services to the ACT community. The task of the Forum is to ensure that these resources are used effectively and efficiently to deliver the best outcomes for the community and government. The intention is that this Forum will be the beginning of a new phase in community decision making in Canberra, in which people come together to discuss, consider and plan on issues that affect their daily lives. This process will close the space between government and the community, as we are all part of this community and we should all have a genuine say in decisions that affect us. BETTER SUBURBS FORUM MEMBER PACK 5 WHAT IS A CITIZENS’ FORUM? A Citizens’ Forum is a form of deliberative The Forum will be held over five days. It is engagement, with participants coming together for important that all members attend each of these a period of time, being given credible and reliable days, from 9:00am to 4:30pm. The Forum will be information on the topic under review, discussing located at CIT Reid, 37 Constitution Ave, Canberra. (deliberating) the subject at length and arriving at a shared view on the way forward. PART 1 Deliberative engagement is used to make shared SATURDAY 21 JULY decisions. The members of the Forum are a • Information provision, including discussions with cross section of the Canberra community. This experts about key issues and opportunities. representative sample of the community will explore all the issues and trade-offs associated PART 2 with delivering better city services for Canberra, to SATURDAY 4 AUGUST enhance the user experience for the community. & SUNDAY 5 AUGUST The forum will be facilitated by democracyCo, a • Developing the long term vision for city services company with expertise in running deliberative from 2018 to 2030 engagement throughout Australia. Their website is • Developing and agreeing on the key outcomes http://www.democracyco.com.au that are important to Canberrans for city services There will be up to 65 participants in the Forum • Agreeing on key priorities for delivering on these including: outcomes for the next four years to 2022. • Citizens selected randomly and representative of the various elements of the Canberra community PART 3 • Stakeholders from representative organisations SATURDAY 18 AUGUST and community councils. & SUNDAY 19 AUGUST • Determining a targeted approach for playgrounds in Canberra • Developing Service Assessment Criteria for play spaces • Deciding where to prioritise the expenditure of the $1.9 million from the Better Infrastructure Fund to improve play spaces across Canberra • Completing and finalising the Better Suburbs Statement and providing it to the Minister for Transport and Community Services. 6 BETTER SUBURBS FORUM MEMBER PACK THE BETTER SUBURBS PROGRAM The Better Suburbs Program has been introduced In 2018, Kitchen Table conversations were held in to engage the Canberra community on the delivery the weeks leading up to the Forum. These allowed of future city services in Canberra. The aim is to us to share what the community told us in the first develop a Better Suburbs Statement, which will set consultation and seek out deeper responses. The the vision and priorities for improved delivery of feedback from the initial consultation and from the city services in the ACT to 2030. Kitchen Table conversations will be shared with you at the Forum. The ACT Government invests significant resources each year in the delivery of Canberra’s city services. Community feedback is also received by Transport It is important that decisions about city services are Canberra and City Services (TCCS) on an ongoing informed by local residents to achieve a balance basis, through the TCCS annual community in service delivery that meets community needs survey, Chief Minister talkback sessions on whilst being financially sustainable. ABC Radio Canberra and Fix my Street online requests. This feedback has all been taken into The Program is also an opportunity to redefine account to develop the themes for the community the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders engagement. – the ACT Government, industry, businesses and the broader community. The ACT Government is trialing deliberative democracy processes as a step towards setting a new standard for how we engage with the community to make decisions about service delivery in the ACT. In late 2017, the consultation journey began. Over 1200 people completed the Better Suburbs survey, 175 people attended pop up sessions, 43 people participated in an online Your Say discussion board, 302 people commented on social media and eight people lodged written submissions. The resulting Community Consultation and Engagement Report is available at www.yoursay.act.gov.au/BetterSuburbs BETTER SUBURBS FORUM MEMBER PACK 7 OUR TASK TOGETHER – A BETTER SUBURBS STATEMENT FOR CANBERRA A vision around priorities for future city servicing CITY SERVICES AFFECT in the ACT will help to ensure we deliver the right OUR QUALITY OF LIFE level of services to meet the expectations of our Changes to our services may impact many community. elements of the day to day lives of the Canberra We hope you enjoy the opportunity to understand community, such as how people use public spaces, the business of city services better and the process move around and connect with others, spend of helping to plan our future activities. This Pack time with animals, enjoy leisure time, care for the shares introductory business information about environment and travel actively to school and work.