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.
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