Page 2518 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 15 November 1989
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than to provide a huge pay package - and ensure that they had appropriate secretarial support. So I would be quite happy to entertain an amendment to the motion on that point.
The council will investigate all aspects of the environmental impact of a development proposal - including the effects on flora, fauna, landscape, people and the quality and comfort of their lives, so we are not just talking about the natural environment but we are also talking about the built environment - and its recommendations as it sees fit in terms of necessary modifications, relocations, prohibitions or requirements for further study, such as inquiries, environmental impact statements or public environmental reports.
Where a proposal requires preliminary negotiations between a developer and the ACT Government before the former makes any commitment to proceed, the council should commence its assessment of the proposal as soon as possible on the request of the Minister. So I say to those of you who have expressed some concern to me that this might mean that every single development is going to have to be looked at by the council that that is not my suggestion at all. My suggestion is that it is the responsibility of the Minister to determine when he or she wishes to use the council, because it is going to be the responsibility of the Minister in the long run to approve that particular development. Ministers should wear the responsibility and, if it does not go well, then they should be prepared to wear the flak. That provision ensures that the council would not be overused.
The nature, existence and findings of the council should be regarded as commercial-in-confidence for the duration of the negotiations. Once an agreement has been reached between the ACT Government and the developer, or negotiations have been abandoned by both parties, any report by the council should be regarded as a public document.
In the course of its investigations the council should have the right to demand such information from the developer and the government agencies as it believes is necessary to reach its conclusions. Where that information is refused, the council may, without further investigation, recommend to both Ministers that negotiations be terminated or that a full environmental impact statement should be undertaken on completion of negotiations.
The Minister responsible for the environment should undertake to notify, by advertisement or other means, the availability of council reports and should provide copies to interested parties.
No report by the council will contain details of processes of manufacture or other commercial operations which are regarded as privileged information, although the
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