Page 5776 - Week 18 - Tuesday, 10 December 1991

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Motion of Rejection - Gungahlin Suburbs

MR JENSEN: I move:

That the proposed variation to the Territory Plan for the Gungahlin suburbs of Amaroo, Casey, Harrison, Ngunawal and Nicholls, tabled on 26 November 1991, be partially rejected by omitting:

(a) the words "identifying these suburbs on the plan as 'Defined Land', and by" in lines 4 and 5 of the Introduction on page 1 of the Schedule;

(b) the words "'Defined Land' (under the Interim Planning Act 1990)" in the legend to Figure 1 at page 3; and

The arguments for and against were discussed at length in the Assembly last week and I therefore do not propose to run these arguments again at length this afternoon. Members can refresh their memories by referring to pages 35 to 48 and 81 and 86 of the proof Hansard for Tuesday, 3 December, where these matters were discussed. However, I think it is important for some of these points, as they relate to Gungahlin specifically, to be raised again this afternoon.

Mr Speaker, today is the last day for a decision on these variations. The unplanned sitting last week advanced the process by three days; otherwise we probably would have been looking at the last day being one day next week. I guess the important thing to remember is that, unless this aspect of the variation, which is the one that relates specifically to those aspects of defined land, is deleted from the approved variation that was signed by the Government on 26 November, the community effectively will have no right to have a say in the final shape and make-up of the suburbs, because that is what the defined land process is all about. Unfortunately, what has happened with the process of defined land is that we are tending to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

I appreciate the need for an ability to quickly process minor changes to variations to roads, et cetera, as they often arise during the process of development, particularly in relation to a private sector development, because of problems associated with land forms that were not identified at the time or some minor issues. I seem to recall in the case of Theodore recently that after a suburb had been identified an Aboriginal site was found in the area. There is a requirement to make a policy plan change to excise that area and put it into an area of open space.

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