Page 762 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 1990
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MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Moore! Would you please desist. I warn you, Mr Moore. You must not insist on talking over me. I would ask members of the Government to address their comments more closely to the original motion.
Mr Moore: Mr Speaker, may I seek a clarification of your ruling? Does that mean that this amendment of the motion is to be withdrawn?
MR SPEAKER: Certainly not, Mr Moore. Please proceed, Mr Jensen.
MR JENSEN: Mr Speaker, I apologise for getting a bit carried away and referring to Tuggeranong in relation to this matter. It was just one of the things that kept popping into my mind when I was talking about this sort of misrepresentation that had been made in the past by members opposite.
During her remarks Ms Follett made some comments about a media release from me relating to the Northbourne Flats. That media release was put out at the time to ensure that there was a clear indication out there in the community that any proposition whatsoever to make any changes to the Northbourne Flats or any other part of those areas would have to go through a very long and involved process.
It was almost as if Mrs Grassby were suggesting that the bulldozers were revving up outside the Northbourne Flats ready to roll tomorrow. That was the sort of implication. Clearly, it was appropriate at the time for me to produce a press release that shot that sort of argument down in flames. What I said was that the current land use policy for the site of the Northbourne Flats is residential and that any proposal to change that use to commercial must go through a long process of public consultation. (Extension of time granted)
I do not have much more to say so I will continue briefly. I said that the consultation procedures were set out in the ACT Planning and Land Management Act which can only be amended by Federal Parliament. As we know, there is a Federal election at the moment, so it will be some considerable time before any amendment is made to that. Certainly that is the case if the degree of interest shown by previous Federal parliaments in matters related to the ACT is any indication - particularly when we had five Ministers being advised by one of the members opposite. We soon saw the sort of interest that they took in the ACT affairs.
However, I digress slightly. I went on to say that since the ACT's own planning legislation, which already has been tabled, will also provide for the preparation and declaration of the Territory plan, which must not be inconsistent with the National Capital Plan, there are double hurdles facing any development proposal.
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