Category: MIL-OSI

The ACT Government is taking further steps to prevent and respond to domestic, family and sexual violence.

Funding in the 2024-25 ACT Budget will address domestic, family and sexual violence, including coercive control.

Throughout the ACT and Australia, incidents of domestic violence continue to increase. Frontline services must be well-equipped to respond.

This Budget includes a coercive control package, to increase understanding and improve responses to this type of domestic violence.

The package will provide training to frontline agencies, such as ACT Policing and the Courts, on identifying and responding to coercive control.

It will also provide for a public education campaign informed by specialist coercive control expertise.

Alongside this investment, a significant funding boost will be provided to frontline response services. These services do vital work to keep women and families safe.

The Domestic Violence Crisis Service, Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, YWCA, Beryl Women Inc, and Women’s Health Matters will all receive funding boosts.

As first points of support for many people experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence, crisis services, refuges and specialist services for men are all vital to address the immediate impact of domestic and family violence and keeping people safe.

This Budget also prioritises behaviour change for perpetrators. Funding for EveryMan will expand their violence prevention programs.

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Sections of Tuggeranong Creek in Calwell have been re-naturalised with native plants and grasses replacing concrete. The project will help improve habitat and the quality of water flowing into Lake Tuggeranong.

Concrete sections of the creek have been replaced with naturalised creek beds featuring pools and riffles. Thousands of water plants have been planted at the site.

The new water plants will:

• trap sediments
• absorb nutrients and pollution
• reduce the risk of blue-green algal blooms.

The plants will also provide important habitat for native wildlife such as water bugs, yabbies and water birds. The plants will grow over the next few years to create a beautiful landscape.

The creek channel has been widened to slow the water down. This will allow it to filter into the soil and support the surrounding landscape while still protecting the surrounding suburbs from flooding.

Two viewing platforms will provide a space for the community to enjoy the area.

This project is one of several that are trialling improvements in stormwater quality and waterway healthy. These include:

• new wetland designs including floating wetlands
• reconnecting street drains and pipes to green space
• stormwater recycling to irrigate sports fields
• raingardens that treat runoff before it enters big drains.

The Healthy Waterways program is helping to deliver on the goals of the ACT Water Strategy 2014-44. The government is currently seeking feedback from the community on changes to the strategy which aim to find new and adaptable ways to care for our waterways in the ACT.

More information about the Healthy Waterways Program is available on the ACT Environment website.

Have your say on the changes to the ACT Water Strategy 2014-44 on the YourSay website.

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The ACT Government is investing $455,000 towards the implementation of the Canberra Region Local Food Strategy.

Part of the 2024–25 ACT Budget, this funding will help grow Canberra’s local food production sector.

The ACT is the first Australian state or territory to launch a plan to support and grow its local food system.

Funding for the first year of the Strategy’s implementation will deliver a Local Food Chain Infrastructure Study.

The study will explore opportunities to support small-medium sized local food producers in Canberra and the surrounding region who struggle to compete with larger commercial providers.

The study will focus on areas of food packaging, distribution, storage and networking. It will build on data from the Agriculture and Food in the ACT Study, currently underway.

It will also aim to reduce barriers for getting local food produce into local marketplaces and grocery stores.

Shaped by community feedback, the strategy will ultimately strengthen Canberrans’ access to healthy, affordable food.

Funding has also been provided to examine opportunities for using suitable ACT Government land to support local food production, and to help educate the community on how to grow food in the ACT.

The Canberra Region Local Food Strategy is available on the ACT Environment website.

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The ACT Government is investing in more health and community services in Gungahlin.

This includes building a new health centre for the growing region and taking the next steps on delivering a new ACTAS Ambulance and Fire station and indoor sports facility.

A new health centre in Casey

The 2024–25 ACT Budget will include funding for the design and construction of a new health centre in North Gungahlin.

The North Gungahlin Health Centre will be built on Kingsland Parade in Casey, conveniently close to the shopping centre and other facilities.

The centre will provide more free health services closer to where people need them, with easier access to preventative health services and treatment for chronic disease.

The centre will be staffed by a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals, including nurses and allied health workers.

This will continue to expand as the ACT Government recruits to grow Canberra’s frontline public health workforce.

The new centre will complement the territory’s existing network of nurse-led Walk-in Centres, community health centres and the hospital system.

More community facilities

The ACT Government is currently working through additional community uses for the remaining blocks on the 2.4-hectare site.

This includes an indoor sports facility to provide local residents, sporting groups and organisations with access to better amenities and state-of-the-art facilities.

It also includes a new ACTAS Ambulance and Fire Station, which will enhance response times to emergency incidents as the Gungahlin community grows.

Both these will be captured as part of the Estate Development Plan and the Subdivision Design Application to be completed through 2024–25.

The Government has already committed to a study on traffic and transport improvements surrounding the Casey Group Centre.

This work will also be considered in development processes as the ACT Government works with the community to design a precinct that suits the local community’s needs.

Share your thoughts

The community can now have their say on the design and future services of the North Gungahlin Health Centre.

Visit the YourSay Conversations website for survey details and dates for information sessions and pop-up stalls across Gungahlin.

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Improved skills, confidence and opportunities for friendship are key benefits of the ACT Women’s Return to Work Program.

The program offers a series of free workshops for Canberra women looking to return to the workforce after a long period away.

Whether the absence is due to parenting, an unexpected life event, or something else altogether, the program is ideal for women keen to brush up on skills required to begin working again.

The workshops provide skills and knowledge on:

• skill recognition and growth mindset
• creating professional resumes and cover letters
• interpreting job ads and applying for jobs
• online and government job applications
• job interview preparation and practice.

The workshops help women with skills and confidence on their journey  to obtain meaningful, ongoing employment, ultimately assisting them to achieve increased financial independence.

“I had a spinal fusion a couple of years ago, and I had been a registered nurse my whole life. Three years out of the workforce and I was just feeling overwhelmed and a colleague who has actually done the training, recommended it,” a previous attendee said.

“All the chatting, all the feedback, all the organisations, all the tips. There’s just been so much information shared in these four weeks, it’s worth its weight in gold.”

Registrations are open for the next Return to Work Program, which begins on Wednesday 31 July.

The workshop runs across four weeks. They will be held at the Nara Centre in the city, from 10am–2pm on the following days:

• Wednesday, 31 July
• Wednesday, 7 August
• Wednesday, 14 August
• Wednesday, 21 August

Attendees need to come to all four sessions. Lunch, tea and coffee will be provided.

“You do meet these other women from every background, you can network you can continue growing that friendship,” another past attendee said.

“It’s a place where it’s very safe, it’s a place which is very friendly, it’s a place where you might surprise yourself.”

Registration for the workshops is essential.

Sign up by emailing csdrtw@act.gov.au

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Staff at Access Canberra Service Centres strive to help customers feel seen, supported and understood.

To help ensure this, Access Canberra is now a member of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative.

This aims to ensure Canberrans living with non-visible disabilities are better supported when visiting service centres.

Not all disabilities, conditions or chronic illnesses can be seen. The Hidden Disability Sunflower initiative encourages inclusivity, acceptance and understanding.

Hidden disabilities may be:

• neurological
• cognitive and neurodevelopmental
• physical
• visual
• auditory.

This also includes respiratory conditions, rare diseases and chronic conditions like diabetes or chronic pain.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative

The global Hidden Disabilities Sunflower initiative gives people a tool to share that they have a hidden disability – if they wish to do so.

They can opt to wear a sunflower lanyard or pin. This visual cue shows they might need extra help, understanding or time, without them having to ask.

All Access Canberra Service Centre staff have received Hidden Disabilities Sunflower training.

They also have their own sunflower supporter pins.

This shows customers with hidden disabilities that they have the awareness and training to support them when carrying out government transactions.

“By joining the Sunflower Initiative it’s another way for Access Canberra to show that ‘we see you, we value you and we want to service you in way that best works for you,’” Service Centre Operations Manager Paige Ryan said.

Staff now have a greater understanding of the types of disabilities and/or conditions people experience and how common these are in our community.

“This training also helps encourage our staff to continue to challenge our way of thinking when it comes to how we offer our help, support and guidance to those we service,” Paige said.

More support for Canberrans with neurodiversity

There will be a quiet hour each Wednesday at Access Canberra Service Centres.*

From 10am to 11am, service centre staff will help to facilitate a calmer, less stimulating space for customers to complete their transactions.

Where possible, service centres will have music turned down and mobile phones on silent.

“The aim is to create a less stimulating environment for one hour each week, which will help provide a more inclusive offering to our community,” Paige said.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that 30-40 per cent of the Australian population is neurodiverse.

*The Dickson service centre, which is appointment-only, will not offer the weekly quiet hour.

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyards and pins are available on the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower website.

Find Access Canberra Service Centre locations.

From 10am to 11am on Wednesday, service centre staff will help to facilitate a Quiet Hour at most service centres.

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Clement Chauvin, Head Chef and sole owner of Les Bistronomes, has taken out the Waste Minimisation Award at the 2024 Climate Choices Business Awards.

He has been acknowledged for his creative and community-minded sustainability initiatives.

The Awards recognise climate leaders in the business arena across eight categories.

Les Bistronomes was celebrated for making sustainable choices for everything from sourcing ingredients to disposing waste.

“It was wonderful to receive the award,” said Clement.

“As a chef, I’m aware that my produce comes from mother earth and the land we live on. It makes sense to be considerate of the earth that gives us the food that nurtures and feeds us all,” he said.

Some of the ideas Les Bistronomes was recognised for as part of the award came about during COVID.

“It was a difficult time, but it really created community around our restaurant, and led to some great ideas for sustainability and waste minimisation,” Clement said.

The idea to create a ‘green card’ came about from a woman who donated 80 kilograms of Jerusalem artichokes to Clement. She had an excess and didn’t know what to do with them.

“I wanted to repay her in some way, and that’s when the idea came,” he said.

“Local home growers in Canberra can bring in their raspberries, flowers, lemons, rhubarb or homegrown veggies in exchange for a 10 per cent discount at the restaurant.”

This initiative reduces food waste and grows community connection, as well as limiting food miles.

Les Bistronomes also gives growers food scraps for their compost.

This is a way of sequestering carbon and returning nutrients to the soil. Their approach is not only great for the business, but also gives back to the local community.

Clement has now established strong relationships with a number of locals who love growing fruits and vegetables and who regularly supply food for the restaurant.

“I now work with two local ladies, and we plan out crops so that the restaurant has a steady and seasonal supply of produce,” he said.

The Sustainable Business Program

Clement said the future for Les Bistronomes is to go all-electric and move to solar if he can.

He has reached out to the ACT Government’s Sustainable Business Program to help him.

The program has technical experts who can provide all ACT businesses with free advice on ways to improve their energy efficiency; including transitioning off gas with rebates of up to $10,000, installing solar panels and battery storage.

“The Sustainable Business Program helped me look at what options were available to improve sustainability, but from an infrastructure point of view,” Clement said.

“We’re looking to switch from gas to electric induction cooking and we’re investigating how we can use solar to offset electricity costs.”

Find out more about the Sustainable Business Program and the other Climate Choices Business Awards winners.

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The ACT Government will work with Telstra on a plan to redevelop and reopen Telstra Tower.

This will help reinstate it as an iconic Canberra visitor destination.

Features will likely include a café, retail space and observation deck.

It is too early to say if the tower’s renowned revolving restaurant will return.

Over the past two years, Telstra has carried out planning and engaged with the community about re-developing the building.

Telstra Tower has been part of the Canberra skyline for over 40 years.

The company recently approached the ACT Government to consider operating it as a visitor attraction.

“For many years it was a popular tourist attraction, and we believe this site can offer that again for Canberrans and visitors to our country’s capital,” Telstra CEO Vicki Brady said.

“Black Mountain also has ongoing cultural significance to the Ngunnawal people, and any new development of the Telstra Tower should also reflect and incorporate this as a key element.

“As a national telecommunications and infrastructure provider, Telstra does not have the expertise to develop or manage a tourist attraction, so we need a partner with the skills and local knowledge to help make that happen,” she said.

“That’s why we are pleased to be entering into a partnership with the ACT Government to leverage their local expertise in running world-class tourism venues, and hope this enables the Tower to once again be open to the public.”

The Government has signed a Letter of Intent with Telstra.

They will work together on commercial and financial arrangements before final decisions are made on the partnership.

Both will continue to engage with the Ngunnawal community and other families and stakeholders with an interest in the Tower, looking to incorporate local culture and stories.

Telstra has already begun working with national design firm Architectus to look at what a modern Telstra Tower may look like as a public venue.

“Our proposed design will respectfully acknowledge the significant stories of place and history bringing new life to this Canberra icon,” Architectus Principal, Sophie Cleland, said.

Design concepts: Architectus

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