Page 4926 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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to the large numbers of variations to the Territory Plan that have been proposed in the documents. Of course, as we know, tucked away at the back of the Planning Report is a document which includes 232 changes to the Policy Plan as it currently stands. Those changes, some of them quite substantial, have been proposed. In fact, it would seem that the Government has made a deliberate decision - or at least condoned a decision on the part of the Planning Authority - not to let the residents, who are going to be directly affected by some of those changes, know that they are proposed.
All we received through the letterbox - and all the residents in that area received through the letterbox - was a letter signed by the Territory Chief Planner and a small pamphlet which indicated to the people that there was such a thing as a Territory Plan and that if they wanted further information they should go elsewhere to look for it. Nowhere in that documentation are those people who are going to be affected told that there could be some major changes to their area - changes to the open space which they have been used to for some time; changes to allow three-storey residential development. None of those people have been advised directly of that. It has been up to them to take the initiative.
As I have already indicated in this place, the draft variation process that currently applies requires the system to provide notification to those citizens who are going to be directly affected by these changes. For some unknown reason, it seems that the Planning Authority has made this decision - one can only presume, with the support of the Government which, in fact, has the ability to direct the Planning Authority, in accordance with section 30 of the Territory Interim Planning Act, to take certain actions of an overall nature, as opposed to a plot's specific nature. That is why I have asked, and will continue to ask, the Minister to require that further notification be given to the community in this very important area.
Quite frankly, I think the community is being let down in the provision of information in this very important area, and I suspect that that has something to do with the budgetary process. Unfortunately, community consultation does not come cheap. However, might I suggest that, if the community consultation process is operated successfully and appropriately, the community will slowly build a greater faith in the system. I suggest that, once the appeals process has commenced and the courts have set various agenda for appropriate appeal mechanisms and also what it is appropriate to appeal on, we will find that there is a reduction in the use of the appeal process. There will also, of course, be a reduction in the community involvement in this area, because the community, I think, as this plan is implemented, will be progressively much happier with the process.
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