Page 950 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 26 July 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
The Rally would like to see the re-establishment of a similar body to the NCDC community consultative committee where peak community groups and other interested parties participated in the policymaking process. I raised this matter with the current interim territory chief planner in my capacity as chairman of the Tuggeranong Community Council before I was encouraged to seek election to this place. He advised the council in writing that we should discuss the subject with him in February this year. I understand that the council is still waiting for this matter to be considered by him.
To this end the Rally will be seeking to ensure that some form of replacement for this important liaison committee is re-established as soon as possible and its importance established by the legislation which sets up the Territory Planning Authority. I commend that particular aspect to the minority Government committed to open and public consultation.
On the other hand, the same authority allowed the over-development of Civic, to the detriment of adjacent urban environment, in contravention of its own approved metropolitan plan and against the advice and wishes of residents and other more enlightened town planners. These decisions resulted in developments like the desecration of City Hill within a stone's throw of where we sit today, decisions that must not be allowed to happen again, and I suggest that the recent decision by Justice Kelly is one aspect of that particular problem - a good decision for the residents of Canberra.
All this leads the Rally and its supporters to be firmly convinced that the laws to be put in place by the Assembly when it formalises what is only an interim arrangement must ensure that the requirement for public consultation is firmly entrenched in that legislation - a requirement acknowledged by section 25(4) of the ACT (Planning and Land Management) Act.
This same section also requires similar laws to be established to include the need for the Territory Planning Authority to consult with the National Capital Planning Authority. This authority, as members are no doubt aware, is regulated by the same ACT (Planning and Land Management) Act to produce the national capital plan by 1 May 1990, a plan that will have a major influence on our final territorial plan. We must have our new planning authority well established in its permanent form before that date.
Section 25(5) is another important provision because it clearly says that the Assembly is not restricted by the Act to make any other laws for planning issues. We in this place have been given the power to take command of our own destiny. The sooner we do so on planning matters the better.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .