Page 2870 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 22 November 1989
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On the weekend I ran into two major developers. I confess that I met those people. One of them I met near the statue of Ethos because he was participating in a function there relating to some industry matters. He told me that he is dying to pay betterment and get on with some developments. The developments he mentioned off the top of his head did not, when bounced off me, appear to have any relevance to any of the Rally's concerns. Many other developers are saying the same thing.
One takes all of those comments with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, there are significant developments proposed that do not appear to have extensive community objection. There are developments proposed in inner Canberra that would return millions of dollars in betterment and, to my knowledge, the developers are willing to pay that money. The big question is: why have we not got a proper regime developed for the development sector by now? That is an ominous sign. We are not going to look suspiciously for the reasons, but clearly there is a substantial problem in the planning area in the Territory at the moment.
Mr Rod Driver from the BWIU appears to be the originator of the Canberra Tradesmen's Club newsletter. The last one to go in people's letterboxes refers to the club's $30m shopping centre, office block, service department and car parking complex being on the back burner thanks to the Residents Rally. It goes on to say - and I hope this does not worry Mr Berry - "We should all join the Rally to tell them what to do".
The fact is that there were 40-odd comments about that large Dickson town centre proposal and, as I understand it, there was a comment that went from the executive of the Rally asking a number of questions. One asked a rather prophetic question when you think it was made last June, namely, what would be the interaction with the National Capital Planning Authority. It is absolutely fatuous, destructive in the community, and divisive for that type of newsletter to go around.
But if even the BWIU cannot get an answer on its proposal made many months ago when the invitations to respond closed in June and we are now towards the end of the year, what is going on in the planning area? What is the problem? What is holding it up? Is it fear of betterment on some of the more notorious projects, or what? What is the log jam that is preventing us from getting the systems that my colleague Mr Jensen mentioned? And, more to the point, why has the white paper got the ominous ring, again, of the Mant proposals that the community rejected over the last two years, making access and locus standi for review open only to neighbours?
Mr Speaker, there are significant problems in the pipeline for this Government if it cannot get its Territory planning office working. To our knowledge, there are significant work pressure issues arising out of the transitional
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