A more colourful, inclusive Canberra: Braddon’s rainbow roundabout is a tribute to the ACT’s support for same-sex marriage. Photo: Jason Roses.
The Chief Minister promised it and dozens of volunteers from the LGBTIQ community delivered it, adding a permanent piece of public art to the Braddon streetscape.
The City’s first rainbow roundabout at the intersection of Lonsdale and Elouera Streets in Braddon is now a colourful tribute to the same-sex marriage postal survey and the ACT’s thumping “Yes” vote.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says there will legislation passed by Christmas but the ACT wasn’t about to wait around, with rings of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple now adorning the roundabout.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr promised the rainbow roundabout to celebrate Canberra’s resounding 74 percent “Yes” vote, the highest in the nation.
City Renewal Authority CEO Malcolm Snow said the rainbow roundabout was the type of team effort that would contribute to the city’s renewal and promote diversity and inclusion in Canberra.
“The painting of the roundabout at Elouera and Lonsdale streets is a fantastic urban intervention that is in line with the key Government priorities of urban renewal and promoting diversity and inclusivity,” Mr Snow said.
“We want our city to be a city of diversity, equality, and inclusion. These are critical to making a great city that is vibrant, safe and exciting for all of its residents. We also want our city to be a fun, colourful and attractive place that people are attracted to and enjoy being in.”
Mr Snow said the rainbow roundabout met all of those objectives by creating a colourful centrepiece in Braddon that enlivened the area while also promoting diversity and inclusivity.
“One of the great things about this project is it is a collaboration between the government and the community. Collaboration between the government, community and the private sector will be an incredibly important ingredient in the renewal of our city,” he said.
The roundabout project cost about $6,500 and the City Renewal Authority worked with the ACT Office of LGBTIQ Affairs, which has strong links to local LGBTIQ groups who provided volunteers to paint the rainbow mural.
Mr Snow said the rainbow mural was intended to be in place for the life of the roundabout and would be maintained by the ACT Government.
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