Page 572 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 1990
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Mr Moore totally overlooks the fact that current planning processes already provide for the kind of assessments which he recommends. The Government takes the view that the public interest is best served by ensuring that responsible development conforms to the National Capital Plan, the forthcoming Territory plan and the former NCDC policies. The preparation of the Territory plan will involve exactly the kind of processes recommended in Mr Moore's motion.
The 1989 Civic Centre Policy Plan already expressly states, on page 39 - if he cares to look at it - that there is room for resolution of conflicting environmental, social and economic concerns within the overall objectives of the plan. In fact, he probably took his words from that paragraph without reading it to understand what it meant. The proposed new planning and leasing legislation also provides for a range of assessments and appeals processes. The question to be asked is why we should act in an ad hoc fashion and establish a special inquiry when all the existing and proposed planning and development processes can provide a response to the problem?
It is simply not good enough for Mr Moore to come in to this chamber and seek to give the impression that he and he alone has thought about these issues. It simply is not so and nobody here is impressed and neither is anybody out there in his electorate. This Government intends to act on behalf of all residents of the Territory. It intends to act on behalf of all residents of the Territory in a balanced way and not on behalf of a limited electorate to which Mr Moore seems to think he appeals.
In relation to the Canberra Times site, I have already announced that the Government supports development of that site and that I have sought advice on the legal, planning and leasing issues related to it. In considering how to advance the matter we will have full regard to the recommendations of the Assembly committee which examined the matter last year and which also recommended that the development proceed subject to certain conditions. Those conditions related to the need for parking restrictions in adjacent suburbs and assessments of traffic, transport, and pollution problems. Work on these matters is currently proceeding and should be available to the Government and to the Assembly in a matter of days. Once again, it is worth emphasising that in this specific case the work involved in the inquiry and assessment process recommended by Mr Moore has already been initiated by the Government.
The Government will soon announce a specific decision on that site. We will announce a decision made after careful consideration of all of the circumstances and having regard to the interests of the community. We will do so on the basis that a further inquiry would simply cover the same ground as the original planning process, the Supreme Court decision, the Federal Court appeal hearing, the Legislative Assembly inquiry, and the further studies which are already
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