Page 4523 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 20 November 1991
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Planning Authority when its administrative and financial resources, and its own decision making processes, are not led by a person with absolute independence as the drafters of the legislation and the framers of the interim Territory legislation agreed that that position would have. So, community confidence in the process is not established from the outset.
It was not assisted at all when we learnt that a senior public servant had directed the Territory planners not to attend a couple of meetings because they were "politically inspired". Whether or not that was substantively true, the issue that was most important and of great concern to the Rally over that was that such an official could purport to direct the acting Territory planner. We wait to hear comments from the Government as to whether any such instruction was given in relation to Forrest and the Manuka issues.
The weakest arm of the Planning Authority at the moment is the political interference with the process by all of us. Developers complain about log jams and the planners are the meat in the sandwich. We first started these processes in 1986 when I got involved in some of the original discussions - it is just like deja vu, this meeting - called by Jill Lang with ourselves and CARD and Mr Moore. Some of us are sitting here hearing a rerun of all that led to the widespread community concerns in 1986, through 1987 and so on, that led to some of us being in this chamber. What hope do we have when those who serve this Government know the manner in which there is a level of cronyism in political appointments?
Only the other night, at a sports summit, Mr Berry indicated very clearly that he would appoint a sports council; that he would not be the tail. Someone talked about a tail wagging the dog. He said, "Well, I will not be the tail". He said, and I have it recorded, "We will appoint people acceptable to the Government". He meant that broadly, of course.
MADAM TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mrs Grassby): Mr Collaery, I think you had better keep to the point.
MR COLLAERY: Thank you, Madam; I believe that what I am saying is very appropriate. Nevertheless, I am concerned about other possible appointments in the public service, or temporary appointments in the public service, widely known and discussed, which put a general fear among the public service at the moment about their own independence and their own security.
MADAM TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Collaery, you are not keeping to the point.
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