Page 4197 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 23 October 1991
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That carries out the long and consistent theme of the Labor Party in protecting the interests of Canberra and protecting those best features of this Canberra community.
The direct grant of leases must be done in accordance with disallowable criteria. So, again, with disallowance, the Assembly has a role in setting those criteria. Deals cannot be done in back rooms by any future government. It is all open; it is all transparent. In addition, copies of direct grant leases must be tabled in the Assembly within a specified period of their grant. Unless exempt by the Territory Plan, applications to conduct certain activities, called controlled activities, will need to be publicly notified. These include the execution of a variation to a lease, public works and the external design and siting of buildings. These applications will then be open to objections from any person who may be affected by a decision to approve an application.
These objections will be taken into account and, upon notification of a decision, both objectors and applicants will be able to appeal to the AAT if dissatisfied with that decision. That again, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, means that there is openness and transparency in the process and the right of members of the community, if they feel that they are going to be adversely affected by a decision, to have their day in court, to go to the AAT and litigate a decision.
The Government is confident that the processes detailed in this Bill are the most enlightened in Australia and will ensure that planning and land management decisions will fully reflect the views and aspirations of our community. It is clear that this is an area that the Canberra community does feel very strongly about. We are all proud of the heritage in Canberra of a planned community.
At the moment there is a lot of debate throughout Australia on better cities and improving the urban environment in which the majority of Australians live. In Canberra we see, in a very concrete way and also in a very grassed and treed way, the advantages of a planned urban environment, the way in which Australians living in cities can still enjoy pleasant open spaces, green spaces. Our national capital urban space system is the envy of the rest of Australia.
This legislation that has been presented by a Labor Government will ensure that we continue to be the envy of all of Australia, and that the planning process in Canberra continues to be of a very high standard, protecting the interests of this community, while at the same time allowing a greater degree of certainty for developers so that there will be continued investment and continued job creation.
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