Page 1035 - Week 06 - Thursday, 27 July 1989
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MR MOORE: With reference to the building industry, I have seen very little attempt by this Government to look at the basic, conceptual planning issues behind this city. I spoke at length on that yesterday. Why have we not seen an effort to set this city up so that the sort of construction that we would like to see continue - and we would all like to see it continue - starts to take place in Tuggeranong, where the Deputy Chief Minister himself lives and to which area he pays lip-service? Why do we not see it there?
It is not difficult to do. We have a fantastic system. We have an easy control mechanism here within Canberra to do it. It is the leasehold system. It is not difficult to write into a leasehold system a restriction that Commonwealth public servants not be allowed to be part and parcel of a development or to go into a development within that lease. It is possible. We can use our power in order to control the development in Canberra.
This particular development that we see on section 19, which not only has a casino but which also has a series of office blocks, will exacerbate the problems that were brought out by Justice Kelly in the Concrete Constructions Canberra Times site case. It will also cause other planning problems. What we need for section 19 is an overall conceptual view, and there has never been that conceptual view. The Institute of Architects has presented in a competition a series of possibilities there and still very little notice has been taken of these because Mr Whalan is gungho, ready to push this casino through, whatever his motive. I must say I have for a number of years questioned that motive.
I have made it very clear that I have not had the very strong feelings of other members of my party about this particular casino development in terms of a casino per se, but I do question the sorts of motives that have pushed so hard for so long in order to get this.
What are we lured in with? We are lured in with a lyric theatre of 1,800 to 2,000 seats - that appeals to me greatly - and a playhouse of 600 to 800 seats. I have been involved in drama for many years myself and - - -
Mr Collaery: You still are.
MR MOORE: And still am, exactly, and will continue to be. We are lured in with a studio theatre of up to 300 seats. That is good. We heard the Minister this morning on the radio talking about these and - - -
A member: Did he talk about them? I did not hear it.
MR MOORE: It is what he did not say that we are concerned about. Just exactly what is happening about these? Let me draw attention to paragraph 4.14 of the report on page 17. It says:
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