Page 4862 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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Draft Territory Plan
MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, my question is directed to Mr Wood as Minister for Planning. In the house the other night - I will not reflect on a vote - I quoted from page 73 of the Planning Report of the Draft Territory Plan:
pending proposed joint studies with the NCPA, the Territory Plan cannot at this stage incorporate a comprehensive strategy for the ACT's longer-term development.
Mr Speaker, as you will recall, I moved an amendment in order to provide, in some way, for a long-term strategy for the ACT's development. Since that amendment was defeated by a vote of Labor and Liberal, Mr Wood, can you tell us, with reference to planning, what you are doing to establish some kind of longer-term development strategy in the absence of one?
MR WOOD: The statement in the draft Territory Plan is a comprehensive long-term strategy. Let me first emphasise that the plan remains a draft. That must be clearly understood. It is not something written in concrete that is not going to change.
The draft plan already incorporates numbers of strategies that are carried over. It was indicated that there were no comprehensive strategies. I have looked at that question before. Since Mr Moore raised it, I have been looking most carefully at the strategies from existing plans that are being incorporated, to see whether there are any holes. I agree that it is important that Canberra maintain its reliance on properly prepared planning strategies. There is no question about that, and we will see that it happens. If the draft plan does not encompass all the strategies, I can assure you that the final plan certainly will.
MR MOORE: I have a supplementary question. How can you expect people to respond to a draft Territory Plan that contains the words "cannot at this stage incorporate a comprehensive strategy of the ACT's longer-term development"? How can you expect people to respond to a plan that has no longer-term basis - a draft plan, in other words?
MR WOOD: People can respond very simply. They can respond at great length to that plan because it does not lack detail, Mr Moore. It does not lack vision for the future. If you believe that there are holes, I invite you to make your submissions - you were able to make them most readily to me - and we will consider everything that is proposed to us.
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