Brindabella Liberal MLA Mark Parton's campaign to get some answers on the "underwhelming" multi-million dollar revamp of the main street of the Tuggeranong Town Centre is getting some traction - on social media at least.
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A video Mr Parton made this week suggesting Labor had turned Anketell Steet into "the Big Speed Bump" at a cost of $3.75 million and six months' of work had been viewed more than 8000 times in two days.
City Services Minister Chris Steel has hit back, saying the Liberal Opposition just want to "talk down" Tuggeranong while the government goes ahead with improvements, the next step to spruce up the laneways leading to Lake Tuggeranong.
The Minister also confirmed the government was considering whether buses could be diverted out of Anketell Street following its $3.75 million upgrade - but that would require "capital improvements to Cowlishaw Street".
Mr Parton, a former radio host, showed his media nous this week by making in just 20 minutes a tongue-in-cheek video of the overhauled Anketell Street.
The video, cheekily suggests the government was filling the breach in creating the Big Speed Hump to compete with other genuine tourist attractions such as the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, the Big Prawn in Ballina and the Big Merino in Goulburn,
"Our wonderful Labor-Greens government has reportedly spent a seven-figure sum revitalising Anketell Street and all of the locals will know that it was closed for six months and behind the hoardings they worked away secretly on this massive revitalisation project and, finally it was revealed a few weeks ago," Parton said in the video, posted to social media.
"And so Tuggeranong is now home to the Big Speed Hump."
Mr Parton said he was not surprised the video had received more than 8000 views in two days, saying constituents had expressed frustration to him about how very little seemed to have been achieved in the overhaul.
"I'm not necessarily saying that what's been done to the street is bad, it's just absolutely underwhelming," he said.
A similar despair was expressed in the government's $1 million revamp of the Tuggeranong Town Park, which left many locals wondering where all the money had been spent.
Mr Parton said the government was also not listening to concerns about rediverting buses out of Anketell Street.
He suggested the government had simply undertaken a "tick-the-box" exercise in spending money in Tuggeranong, to make it more popular with voters but the end result had missed the mark.
Mr Steel maintained Labor was making a difference to the amenity of Tuggeranong and that the upgrade to Anketell Street was money well spent.
"The upgrades to Anketell Street have improved safety and accessibility in the town centre and has provided better opportunities for local business to expand to outdoor dining," Mr Steel said.
"Extensive consultation was undertaken with the community in mid-2016 for both the first and second stages of improvements in the Tuggeranong Town Centre, with approximately 480 active participants.
"Last month I wrote to businesses along Anketell Street and visited in person with Joy Burch MLA. We spoke to many business operators who provided positive feedback on the works. We're excited about continuing the upgrades into the laneways precinct (from Anketell St to the Lake) as part of the next stage of improvements in Tuggeranong.
"Only ACT Labor committed to public realm upgrades in Tuggeranong on Anketell St and shops like Kambah Village at the last election and we're delivering these upgrades.
"The Liberals did not commit to any upgrades to Anketell St and instead prefer to talk down Tuggeranong and the improvements we are making there.: