| What services do you believe are most important for the ACT?
| - Community based volunteers undertaking land management and citizen science is increasingly essential for landscape stewardship to be sufficient in the Territory, particularly in and around Canberra city.
- Landcare ACT, the peak body for environmental volunteering, has over 6000 volunteers from more than 60 groups that help care for more than 30% of the Territory’s land and water. LACT’s Member groups provide qualified expertise and resources to plan and coordinate volunteers and their activities. Refer to our website https://landcareact.org.au/who-we-are/
- The environmental outcomes from the work of volunteers are significant and have real and lasting value. Additionally, volunteering builds social capital, particularly the sense of belonging, and improves the health and emotional wellbeing of participants.
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| How can the ACT Government deliver current services more efficiently and productively or to better meet the needs of Canberrans? | - Reliance only on government staff for landscape stewardship does not achieve adequate outcomes and would be financially unsustainable for Territory taxpayers.
- Delivery of community volunteering opportunities by a not-for-profit volunteer organisation is wanted by the community and the Landcare movement is well established (30 year anniversary in 2019) throughout Australia.
- LACT Member groups can deliver volunteer land management and citizen science services more efficiently and at less cost. But this requires certainty of funding for 4-5 years (untied to annual budget funding) to provide continuity and undertake longer term projects.
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| Are there particular services that you think the ACT Government can improve? | - Yes, by removal of duplication of services undertaken across government by different Directorates (e.g. TCCS and EPSDD) in landcare and citizen science.
- Yes, by better integration and coordination with LACT in delivery of Government’s environment projects and programs.
- Yes, by a public commitment to long-term support for community based landcare.
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| What can the ACT Government do to make Canberra even more liveable? | |
