Page 121 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 May 1989
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with examples in small precincts in Reid, Forrest and Ainslie, is one of Canberra's special contributions to Australian planning...
The charming style of the Federal Capital Commission architecture is particular to Canberra. It is complemented by street layout, street tree planting, garden styles and street furniture.
The whole ambience of the substantially intact Barton precinct comes from the total of its components. If one of the original components is destroyed the result is a lessening of the value of the whole.
Mr Taylor said small historic precincts such as Barton were Canberra's equivalent of Sydney's historic precincts, adding richness, diversity and historic values of Canberra.
I heartily endorse those comments. I endorse them because they show what the heritage legislation I urge today on the Government should aim to do and also because they indicate that the decision on number 37 Telopea Park West was not, by any means, an obvious one or a unanimous one or a one that was free from disagreement, as I am sure others in this debate will tell us.
The second matter of concern to the Opposition, Mr Speaker - and this is a matter of mild concern at the present time but becoming more pronounced as days go by - is the present lack of any clear guidelines foreshadowing the legislation which will be applied by the Government to heritage assets, and that issue is a coin with two sides. First of all, the problem is a lack of certainty for people who want to deal with heritage assets in a way which may be consistent with community interest and the other, of course, is the lack of any enforceable rules protecting assets once they have been identified.
The Government has inherited a situation in which this deficiency is pronounced, and it must act quickly to rectify that deficiency. Of course, to have legislation now before us would be good, but that naturally takes too long. Any good legislation would take longer than a few days or weeks to prepare.
But I submit, Mr Speaker, to the Assembly that we cannot wait for it to be in place before protection of heritage assets commences. We must have guidelines in place well before then, and those guidelines, of course, should reflect the legislation's final form, or what the Government sees as being the final form. Those guidelines must be enforced.
The decision on 37 Telopea Park West was, with all due respect, adhockery. It raises the question of how other such cases will be dealt with in the coming weeks. I assure members of the Assembly that there will be other
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