Page 1572 - Week 05 - Thursday, 18 April 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
them and the additional comments, that there may have been a little more common ground amongst the various groups of the committees on some of the issues. However, they chose not to do so, and I think that is an unfortunate factor. However, I do not believe that the general thrust of the report and the recommendations contained therein will be greatly affected by that. I think it is important for the community to read the whole report, so that they can examine all the issues that were raised by the seven members of the committees.
MR STEFANIAK (4.37): Mr Speaker, I would endorse the remarks made by the committee chairman in relation to the hardworking staff of the joint committees; namely, our joint secretaries, Greg McIntosh and Bill Symington, and our keyboard-clerical assistant, Kim Blackburn, who carried out the work involved in typing up this report. The committees had a fairly limited amount of time. All members who actually participated worked very hard, as did staff, and a comprehensive report has been handed down.
I will say a number of things in relation to that report. Firstly, in producing a report such as this in an area as complex as planning legislation, I think it would be impossible for such diverse groups as we have in this Assembly, and such diverse individuals, to reach anything like unanimous agreement. However, I suppose I am heartened by the fact that four members of the committees who did participate certainly agreed on the vast majority of points. A number of very sensible compromises and suggestions were reached and made by the joint committees as a result of reviewing this planning legislation, and some very useful additional comments were made.
I have had a very brief look through the additional comments made by Mr Moore and the Labor Opposition. I think it is unfortunate that they did not see fit to play with these committees. Again, the Labor Party has restated its position in relation to Executive Deputies, and again I would say to them that there is no legal basis for their opposition.
Mr Jensen: They just need to read the report.
MR STEFANIAK: Not only the report. If they read the legislation setting up the Assembly, Hansard or the statements made by the Chief Minister on numerous occasions, it must be painfully obvious to them by now that there is just no basis for their continuing opposition and the myths they are putting out about the Executive Deputies being part, in any way, of the Executive and having any executive responsibility. So, again, I think it is a shame that they did not play.
I now come to the Bill itself. Generally, this consolidation into one Bill of the very complex issues involved in planning legislation will lay the foundation for the continued development of the ACT into the twenty-
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .