Marisa Paterson to call for government to support Molonglo community council

Murrumbidgee MLA Dr Marisa Paterson will move a motion in the ACT Legislative Assembly to call on the government to support the creation of the Molonglo Valley Community Council.

A recently-formed group, called the Molonglo Valley Community Forum, has been endorsed as the community council by Dr Paterson. Forum spokesman Ryan Hemsley said as a council the group would advocate for proper infrastructure and services for the region.

"At this stage we're really looking forward to being able to get the views of the community," he said.

"We are a growing district and we'll have 55,000 residents over the coming decades and part and parcel of that comes with opportunities and challenges."

A point of contention for residents of Molonglo Valley has been a lack of community facilities and shops. Most notably, the Coombs shops has sat largely vacant for several years.

The issues have been mostly dealt with by ad-hoc groups and through the Weston Creek Community Council.

"We hope issues like the Coombs shops will be easier to deal with once we have the community council up and running," Mr Hemsley said.

Once recognised, the Molonglo Valley Community Council will be able to access funding from the government. There are seven community councils in the ACT, each receive about $13,000 from the government annually. The Molonglo Valley Community Council would be able to access the deed of grant in July.

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Mr Hemsley said the funding would legitimise the group.

"From an insurance perspective and a whole host of other logistical perspectives, this deed funding makes it so much easier," he said.

"It also has the double benefit of enabling us to get more people in the room and have those conversations but also ensures that our views are heard and that we have a sense of accountability."

As part of the motion, Dr Paterson will call for the group's membership to be reflective and inclusive of Molonglo's population. The group will have to explore "innovative community engagement methods".

"This will require thinking outside the box and exploring innovative community engagement methods to establish a council that engages younger stakeholders, and those from non-English speaking backgrounds as an example," she said.

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