“It is an election year. The candidates for Murrumbidgee would be wise to promise the people of the Molonglo Valley that they will rectify the mistakes of Minister Yvette Berry,” says political columnist MICHAEL MOORE.

No toilets! Really! No toilets. Hundreds of kids playing and no access to toilets. Who could be responsible? Under our system of government, it is the minister.

The Coombs Ruth Park Playspace is a brilliant playground that attracts significant numbers of children over the weekend and plenty through the weekdays. 

It is a buzz of activity during holiday time. People bring their kids from all over Canberra to enjoy the “playspace”.

No toilets and no parking spaces. A couple even told me they were issued a parking ticket while escorting their child from the road to the playground. Compare this to two nearby playgrounds. The Airport Group’s Denman Prospect Ridge playground has both toilets and parking spaces. So does the ACT government-built playground in Whitlam.

No parking spaces for the Coombs playground. Parking on the street undermines the amenity of the residents and increases danger for the children. You might have thought the minister would be embarrassed to be identified as the person responsible for these oversights. 

Not Minister Yvette Berry. She proudly claims credit on a plaque fixed to a boulder next to the playground.

The plaque reads: “Minister for Housing and Urban Development Yvette Berry officially opened the Ruth Park Playspace on 27 October 2022”. 

She proudly opened a playground without parking and without toilets. As a parent and a former union representative for early childhood education, she ought to know better.

Maybe this sort of incompetence is down to a demarcation dispute with City Services. Who knows where the responsibility lies? It does not matter when it is branded with this sort of plaque. 

These sorts of plaques are a mark of self-indulgent politicians who somehow think their legacy will remain well beyond their term as a minister. 

Plaques are the most obvious of these sorts of indulgences. However, media opportunities created by openings with the headlines that follow often have a similar characteristic. Some politicians, it is said, “will go to the opening of a door”.

Requests are made by NGOs and others for support in such openings. This is a different story. It is appropriate to offer support for others who have a landmark occasion to celebrate. Or who are embarking on a program that will make a real difference to the lives of the people they serve.

Plaques and excuses to open buildings and facilities miss the point that such facilities are paid for by us – the taxpayer. The plaques and comments should really point out that these facilities have been paid for by the people of Canberra for the good of the community. This would be so much better than singing the praises of a politician – especially one whose oversight has been inadequate.

This same principle applies to large and small projects. They are taxpayer funded. Granted there is leadership from ministers. However, whether it be the wing of a hospital, a school or a tram stop – taxpayers should be recognised above the interest of politicians. This is an especially important reminder with an election just six months away.

With a Labor-Greens government so hellbent on infill and limiting the urban footprint of Canberra’s development, this sort of failure bodes ill. The argument for high-rise development with adequate greenspace for recreation for both the children and adults seems very shallow if there are not appropriate facilities.

At the Coombs “playspace” there are not just the children. Parents, grandparents and groups all gather to enjoy the space… until “nature calls”. One innovative mother told me that she keeps a potty in the back of the car for her four-year-old daughter. She just wraps it in cling wrap of some kind. 

Others, I am sure, use the grass, pee on the side of the road or find another spot just away from the playground. The grounds, that are kept beautifully, are undermined by this health hazard. This failure to provide facilities simply beggars belief.

In marked contrast, those at Denman Prospect Ridge gather for birthday parties, celebrations and even religious services. Why? The difference that adequate facilities make allows communities to work as communities.

It is an election year. The candidates for the electorate of Murrumbidgee would be wise to promise the people of the Molonglo Valley that they will rectify the mistakes of Minister Yvette Berry and promise toilet facilities along with appropriate parking spaces.

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.

How muddle-heads messed up a playground