It has been dubbed the ACT’s forgotten suburb. Now, after a spate of violence and vandalism residents of Oaks Estate are saying enough is enough. They are calling on the ACT Government to give the suburb the support it needs, and they have found strong support on the legislative assembly’s cross bench.
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00:00Fiona McGregor has called Oakes Estate home for 16 years.
00:07It's only recently she's felt fearful walking the suburb streets.
00:11I think that for other people in Canberra that they would assume that that was something that was an entitlement
00:19to feel safe walking in their own streets in daylight.
00:22Fiona blames the spike in criminal activity, anti-social behaviour and dangerous roaming dogs.
00:29There have been people in my garden late at night trying to break into my shed just in recent times.
00:34In a rare show of tripartisan support, the Canberra Liberals, ACT Greens and independent MLA Thomas Emerson
00:42are backing a push for change led by the Residents Association.
00:47They've tabled a motion calling on the government to develop a five-year plan to address the problems plaguing the suburb.
00:55Oakes Estate does tend to get a bit left behind in the ACT, being somewhat separated from the bulk of the city
01:01but very much part of the ACT.
01:03High on the priority list is boosting police presence, improving public transport
01:09and overhauling the public housing blocks, which almost half the suburb's population relies on.
01:16I just don't think it's good enough to leave a community that's part of the ACT neglected for so long.
01:21So whatever the cost is, it's not going to be much in comparison to the benefit that's given to community members out here.
01:27The government says it's listening.
01:29Clearly we're hearing from the community that they have some issues at the moment.
01:33We're very happy to meet with them to talk through those issues
01:36and certainly we'll be considering any motion that comes before the Assembly this week.
01:41Fiona won't be holding her breath.
01:44I think that we've fobbed off an awful lot about the problems out here.
01:47Hopefully not for much longer.