Gungahlin Community Council Newsletter - Edition 139 September 2015 FROM THE POLLIES Praise for Common ground housing in Canberra Snapshot of Gungahlin Beyond the Fence Download the latest Gunsmoke Photograph by Ewan Brown Next public meeting/AGM: Wednesday 9 September 6.30pm - Gungahlin Library Notice of Annual General Meeting The 2015 Annual General Meeting of Gungahlin Community Council Inc will be held in the Gungahlin Library (Conference Room 2) commencing at 6:30pm on Wednesday 9 September 2015. All committee positions will be declared vacant and nominations for all positions are required: President, Vice- President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Officer and Committee Members (up to five) - as the Constitution allows for a maximum of 10 members of the committee. MEMBERSHIP A person is eligible for membership of the Council if the person is at least 16 years of age and one of: (a) lives in the Gungahlin district; (b) owns property in the Gungahlin district; (c) works in the Gungahlin district; (d) conducts a business in the Gungahlin district; or (e) has been duly appointed to represent a social organisation or interest group servicing the Gungahlin district. A person is not eligible to nominate to be an Office-Bearer of the Council if the person is; (a) an Executive Officer of a registered political party; (b) a person employed by a registered political party; (c) a registered candidate for a forthcoming election; or (d) an elected member of the ACT Legislative Assembly or any Parliament or a person who has been pre- selected or has nominated for a forthcoming election to any of the aforementioned bodies; or (e) an office bearer in a commercial or industrial lobby group registered with the Federal orACT Government. Nominations should be sent by email to the Secretary no later than 6.00 pm Thursday 3rd September 2015 ([email protected]). If nominating another person, please ensure that your nomination is acceptable to them. If you know someone who may be interested in the work of the Gungahlin Community Council, please pass this information on to them. Following the AGM, there will be a normal public meeting. AGENDA 1. Opening and welcome. 2. Apologies. 3. Minutes of previous AGM held on 10 September 2014. 4. Presentation of President’s Report for 2014-2015. 5. Presentation of Treasurer’s Report (Financial Reports and Auditor’s Statement). 6. Appointment of Public Officer. 7. Election of office bearers and general committee members for 2015-2016. 8. General Business. GunSmoke is available online, and printed copies are President: Ewan Brown - [email protected] available through key shopping centres. To subscribe to the Vice President: Peter Elford - 0401 890 387 online edition visit www.gcc.asn.au and click on the “Sign [email protected] Up For Our Newsletter” button at the bottom of the page. To advertise your business or organisation in GunSmoke, please Public Officer: James Milligan - [email protected] visit our website. Secretary: Tony Ozanne - [email protected] Disclaimer: Web Admin: Jeremy Watson - [email protected] GunSmoke is published to allow residents to keep in touch GCC Committee: Susanne Antunes, Michael Norfor, Stuart Todd, with their local community. The views expressed in Gunsmoke Kevin Cox, Chris Barry, Prasad Tipirneni, Henley Samuel, Jayson do not necessarily represent the opinion of the editor, or Hinder, Jacob Vadakkedathu 2 I Gungahlinmembers Community of the Gungahlin Council Community - Newsletter Council Edition Inc.139 September 2015 From the President Ewan Brown This is my final comment as President annoying! GCC still advocates the need for of GCC as I do not intend to continue after much more local employment opportunities serving four years in the role. It has been as well as services and amenities so that the a fascinating journey seeing Gungahlin residents do not have to leave the district for develop significantly during that period with their various needs (particularly jobs). a number of much sought-after projects It is pleasing to note the success of our being completed. My main focus was on representations to secure a local electorate encouraging development as I believed a in the next ACT Legislative Assembly rapidly growing community required more elections (late 2016). The Yerrabi electorate services and amenities to meet their needs. should enable us to appoint genuine local We always seem to be in catch-up mode representatives who have experience of local but at long last Gungahlin is starting to reach conditions and needs. This should address a state of development with many of the many of the concerns of local residents required services and amenities in place, under that the Gungahlin area, despite its rapid development or having been ‘promised’. expansion and associated ‘growing pains’, The quiet urban village atmosphere in the was not well serviced – even after 20 years of Town Centre is about to change with significant existence. developments underway or soon to commence Transport, roads and parking are likely to at either end. If all the proposed major be the critical issues needing to be addressed developments come to fruition in the next 3-4 by future community councils. Gungahlin years Gungahlin could see another 50-60 relies on ‘the car’ because local services commercial outlets added in the Town Centre. are still deficient – particularly employment. Currently there are three major high-level Huge improvements will be needed in public residential developments in the pipeline thus transport if the locals are to be tempted out of promising additional critical mass of patrons for their cars as the primary mode of transport to local businesses. We will have to wait to see continue to get out of Gungahlin. Somehow what impact Light Rail will have on the Town we missed out on the concept of being a fully Centre. self-sustaining satellite centre - paucity of Good wins for the community have been the employment being the key. ACT Government office block (Winyu House), GCC will place immediate focus on an the Oval, the Leisure Centre, the Marketplace upgrade of the community health centre expansion and the Bunnings development. to provide emergency, casualty and after- Most of Gungahlin can also be happy about hours services. Whereas the overall supply being the almost fully connected region in the of educational facilities seems to match ACT with NBN FTTH services. Once we get population requirements many residents are Nicholls and Casey 1 connected the project not happy about extensive diversions (away will be complete! A major disappointment is the from local or nearby suburbs) to get their continued inactivity on the cinema site. children into schools. A comprehensive survey Road upgrades have been a top priority conducted by the GCC in late 2014 revealed for the GCC over many years and it was very a dearth of suitable facilities for the region’s pleasing to see a number of improvements youth. There was also a lack of low cost funded in the current ACT Budget. Yet these meeting facilities for community use. upgrades were well overdue and other main It will be interesting to observe the arteries such as Horse Park Drive deserve development of priorities by the incoming increasing prominence due to the rapidly committee, particularly during the period increasing residential population in the newer of a real first-time local election scenario. north western suburbs. Gungahlin seemed to Gungahlin should continue to develop as have reached a significant population level in a desirable place to live and work as more early 2015 that placed extreme pressure on services and amenities are provided. commuter roads. The delays became intensely Gungahlin Community Council - Newsletter Edition 139 September 2015 I 3 FROM THE FROM THE POLLIES POLLIES Meegan Fitzharris MLA Shane Rattenbury MLA Greens Member for Molonglo Minister for TAMS and Minister Assisting the Chief Each month I hold a street stall in the Gungahlin Minister on Transport Reform Town Centre on Hibberson Street, usually near the pedestrian crossing outside Coffee Guru. It’s a great spot to catch up with people and find out what’s going For many Canberrans who don’t live in on with local businesses, shoppers, and those who Gungahlin, our northern town centre is often hailed work nearby. as a far off place where young families reside, and There are always lots of people coming and going, where everything is new and raw. You often hear shopping along the strip and wheeling trolleys full of people from further south say “I’ve got to go out to groceries back to the car. It’s also a busy road, with a Gungahlin” – a phrase that conjures up images of steady stream of traffic travelling along Hibberson Street taking a packed lunch and making sure that the car in both directions. Drivers usually do the right thing, is full of petrol. slowing down as they pass through the area when it’s The reality is that Gungahlin is a diverse and busy and stopping for pedestrians. But many people interesting place that offers residents many I talk to would like to see the street closed to cars great community facilities as well as modern permanently. and comfortable housing. Conveniently located What would a Hibberson Street ‘mall’ look like? between the major routes to Melbourne and Could it work? It’s not a simple thing to close a street Sydney, its urban design will serve it well into the down for good, but it is something that people want to future. Gungahlin’s town centre design includes see, so I would like to start the conversation. shops that face outwards, rather than turning their The Capital Metro draft Environmental Impact Statement came out on June and it outlined a possible back on the natural light and the bustling street.