Page 5011 - Week 17 - Tuesday, 11 December 1990
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What the Chief Minister has said is that without this Bill we will not be able to put out a plan. In this case it ought to be the situation that, instead of putting out stages and parts of the plan, we draw up a draft of the plan first, and then the plan as a whole. That does not stop it being constructed in stages but, at least, when it is put out we can see it as a coherent whole. I think that is a much more appropriate approach, at this particular time, for this particular situation. Of course, that also applies to clause 6.
Clause agreed to.
Clause 6
MR MOORE (10.36): The issues that were raised under clause 5, of course, also apply to clause 6, particularly clause 6(2). My comments here echo the comments I have made on clause 5 because the object, in effect, of the plan - in this case the preparation of the plan - ought to be to have a coherent strategy that gives an overview of Canberra and gives us a vision for the future.
That is what the Liberal Government promised us in their policies that they said were a vision for Canberra. It is most important to do that. Mr Jensen earlier interjected, "Come on, Michael, did you not do your homework?", as an aside. Mr Jensen, in fact, it is quite clear, if you look at the highlighting and so forth through this Bill, that I certainly did do my homework. I certainly also was aware, and drew to the attention of the people who were briefing me this morning, that there was a problem with clause 30, which we will get to. There was a drafting error, and here was this Government about to adopt the Bill as a whole. Had I not done that, you would have included that piece that needs amendment. Your attention was drawn to it by the Scrutiny of Bills Committee, yet it would have gone through.
In your attempt to rush things tonight and make sure you can get this through and finished, you seem to be quite prepared to just take things at face value and run them through. That is not the way to deal with legislation, particularly important legislation, that we may well have to wear for a year or more. I know that you are all very keen to assure us that that is not the case. It certainly seems that, if we were to consider your performance on the timing of the substantive legislation, on the five planning Bills, we would hardly expect to see that is the case. Do not mistake me. I accept what the Chief Minister was saying about those substantive Bills and the fact that we need to get them right. At the same time, we cannot always use that as an excuse for our tardiness in being ready, and getting things ready.
Clause agreed to.
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