Page 3237 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 18 October 2022
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We are following very closely what happens as a result of those Western Edge investigations. Ecologists rightly say that environmental impacts are often assessed after decisions are made about yield for development. But we are watching closely with a view to seeing that our important threatened habitat and our listed species are properly considered, and that we do not develop in those critical areas.
We are also following quite carefully the policy commitment and the public debate going on about ‘70-30’ at the moment. The ACT government’s priority is to continue to deliver sustainable planning for new development by requiring at least 70 per cent of new housing development to be within Canberra’s existing urban footprint. Of course, the Greens policy goes further than that. Our policy is for 80 per cent of our development to be within our existing footprint. We are looking ahead to a future in which we have no more urban sprawl.
I will pause there for a moment and talk about what sustainable development means. People often trip themselves up on fairly simple words. “Sustainable” means that you can keep doing it over and over again. It would mean that, with respect to the choices we make, our children could make those choices, and their grandchildren, and their grandchildren after that.
It is important, when we are talking about sustainable development, that we are talking about coming up with a model of development for Canberra that we can continue to do, that allows us to live within our existing city limits, our existing footprint, that allows us to live within the planetary systems that we have, and that allows us to live within our natural resources and our natural systems.
The other benefit, of course, of this kind of planning is that it has a lot of other environmental and social benefits. Reducing our sprawl cuts congestion. It means that we are not all stuck in cars in traffic jams all of the time. It reduces travel time and cost. It is actually just a better way to build a city and to live.
We are very interested to see how the ACT government will keep its commitment of 70 per cent infill development. There is a lot of pressure on this. We hear it regularly in here, and we hear it out in the community, too.
The Standing Committee on Public Accounts recommended, in its recent inquiry on the Auditor-General’s report, that the ACT government release more land. We assume that means releasing 30 per cent of land. We also assume it means making sure that we are releasing our infill land in a timely manner. Releasing that infill land is important. That is what will help us to work out how to develop sustainably, which Canberra has not quite cracked yet.
We are very pleased to see that there is more funding for the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate in the Planning Review and Reform Project. That is a unique opportunity for the community to help shape the way Canberra will be developed for decades to come. It is a key project. It is important that we do it right, and it is important that our consultation and our resourcing on that project are right.
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