From my Desk
This year was meant to be the recovery period from COVID problems and a return to normality, but climate and international events have intervened. We are now facing an ongoing cost-of-living crisis which is more damaging for many in high cost Canberra.
Nevertheless, it is vital to try to focus on the purpose of the Christmas/New Year celebrations and to enjoy the traditional features of the holiday season available to us. I recognise that the last year may have been difficult for many, but I hope that engagement with family and friends will provide opportunities for joy and amusement.
Going forward I would like to see our local region meet our expectations. A good example, is to have much more local employment, more commercial development, sporting and entertainment facilities so that we don’t have to travel out of our region so much. In fact we want that to be the case for the ACT as a whole. We can have a city that is the showcase of the nation as well as providing an environment where we feel safe, empowered and comfortable to live in and afford.
So please have a happy, satisfying and productive Christmas and New Year break.
Out and About
As the year draws to a close, and with no more sitting weeks in sight, I have taken the opportunity to enjoy the good weather (in between the rain) and spend some time in the electorate.
With the Christmas season upon us, I want to remind you to drive safely and look out for each other. Please be sure to shop locally where you can and look after our small businesses this Holiday season.
The Assembly may be on Christmas break, but the work never stops. Please come over for a chat if you see myself out and about in your local area this festive season! And be sure to email me at james@jamesmilligan.com.au if any issues arise over the holidays.
Be sure to keep an eye on my social media pages as I will be posting regular updates on local issues there throughout the holiday period.
Portfolio
And so we have come to another end of year newsletter, and as I read over last year’s one, it is once again, and with ongoing concern, that I note that within my portfolio areas not much has changed.
One thing that has become clearer is that this Labor/Greens government has lost its way in providing services to the people of Canberra. This is true for disability, skills, emergency services and sports and recreation. They do like to announce their so called progress with much fanfare, but then fail to bring anything to completion. Or it takes so long, the costs have skyrocketed and the item delivered does not look like the thing promised!
Take the Woden Tafe for example, which has already overrun it’s costs. Originally priced at $240 million it is now slated to cost $331 million. The government is very good at providing excuses for the cost overrun, but the reality is that this was already being investigated in 2017. It does rather take them a long time to get things moving.
Another example is the Disability strategies, which those living with a disability are still waiting for. There seems to be very little movement in this space, though I note the Education Inclusion strategy was finally launched. But it is the Health and overall strategies that are so much needed in the ACT. ACT is becoming recognised as a place that has the worst services for those living with a disability. I am continuing to put pressure on the Government to get these strategies up, services introduced and finances put into the system.
I was also surprised, to put it mildly, to hear the government announce that the ACT was the most fire ready it has ever been. Questions to the Minister, and photos tabled during a recent sitting, showed that this was not in fact the case. I presented a successful motion to the Assembly in the November sitting asking the Minister to report to the Assembly on the actual state of fire readiness. I am reviewing that report.
But in the meantime, I welcome the inquiry that is being held by the Standing Committee on Environment, Climate Change and Biodiversity into the Bushfire preparedness. If you have something to contribute, I invite you to go to this link.
If you have any questions or comments about any of these matters, I invite you to respond to this email, I will be glad to hear from you.
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