Page 579 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 1990
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The Opposition members now sit on the opposition benches, and one of the reasons for that is that they had a period of seven months to provide for the people of the ACT, who were crying out for legislation. The people of the ACT needed planning legislation, but nothing came forward. It was only after some prising, cajoling and pushing on the part of the Rally at the time that the then Government even decided to give drafting instructions.
What we have done, Mr Speaker, is to take it one step forward. This Government has provided three pieces of draft legislation - not drafting instructions, but draft legislation. That is a damn sight more than the Opposition provided during its time in government. If it were not so tragic, it would be absolutely laughable. But I digress, Mr Speaker. I am afraid I had to say that, because the sort of issues that were coming across were incredible.
As a member who has been concerned with the need for balance and the ongoing need to maintain the environment and accept reasonable and responsible development that takes account of the environment, I have always been concerned about the issues that have been raised today. The matter of public importance raised by Mr Moore lacks that sort of balance and objectivity. Mr Moore proposes that a moratorium be introduced to prevent any work on office development in Civic proceeding until after a full environmental, social and economic inquiry has been carried out into the effects of development in Civic. But we have this document here which resulted from an inquiry. I am referring to the report of the Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Infrastructure of October 1989 on the redevelopment of the former Canberra Times site. We have also had the Metropolitan Canberra Plan report of the Joint Committee of Federal Parliament on the Australian Capital Territory, dated March 1987. That covers at least two of those issues and my colleagues Mr Kaine and Mr Collaery have both indicated that the issues raised in the report on the redevelopment of the former Canberra Times site by the Assembly committee are in the process of being addressed and that information will be put before the Cabinet in due course.
The sort of inquiry that Mr Moore is talking about would be wide ranging, and would be likely to be completed only after extensive public consultation and debate. The inquiry would also involve a wide analysis of very detailed data on environmental, social and economic issues. The whole process that an inquiry proposed by Mr Moore would entail is the same process as that involved in the development of the town plan. It also picks up many of the matters that have been raised in the Assembly standing committee on this important issue as well as concerns expressed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Metropolitan Canberra and the recently certified National Capital Plan. The procedure is very similar to the process which has been partially concluded by the certification of the draft National Capital Plan. It is the very process,
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