Page 1904 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 1992
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MR MOORE (12.09): Madam Speaker, I have not yet got a copy of the amendments, but they are ones I discussed with Mr Kaine and Ms Szuty at a meeting on this matter. I suppose some would construe that as doing a deal, but I think Mr De Domenico put it into its appropriate perspective when he said that negotiations do and should go on in the Assembly on such matters so that for the benefit of the people of Canberra the Assembly can work together. It is important to recognise that the vast majority of our work does come down to agreement. It is only a small number of Bills where conflict is the order of the day that almost always draw the attention of the media. That is also appropriate because they are the ones that are usually of most interest.
I recall that in the debate on the planning legislation Mr Kaine indicated that he, too, was interested in the concept of having a strategic plan to get into perspective where the ACT is going. Any business that is likely to succeed these days develops a business plan before it starts and continues to modify it and to watch exactly where it is going. It is important, as Ms Szuty has suggested in her original motion, that a plan not only look at the gutters and roads and siting of houses, as the Territory Plan originally did, but also develop a strategic plan that takes into account the whole of the way in which we live - the economic, cultural, environmental, financial and health aspects - so that there is some indication overall of where we think we are going.
Any plan of this nature ought to be a vital and almost living thing that can be open to change, to comment and to variation. In fact, through the planning processes in the ACT, which I believe are very advanced, we should be able to achieve just that. I am very pleased that all members in this Assembly have agreed that this is worthwhile. The process that is going to be used will be through the Government - perhaps the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning - so that we do have a genuine strategic plan that sets about achieving those goals. It is particularly gratifying to Ms Szuty and me to see this next step taken, because it was a very basic part of our platform during the election. I feel that it is a step forward, to the benefit of the people of the ACT.
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (12.13): I take issue with one of Mr Moore's remarks. He said that this is a good next step. I do not agree that it is the next step. This has been a continuing process on the part of the Government and the Planning Authority, and as part of that process these matters would normally be attended to. These amendments to the motion require that we make a statement about what we would naturally be doing at various points, and the Government supports the motion.
MS SZUTY (12.13): Madam Speaker, I support Mr De Domenico's amendments to my motion concerning strategic planning. As we know, the amendments transfer the strategic planning task from the Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Infrastructure to the ACT Government. In many ways the ACT Government is best placed to carry out a major inquiry into strategic planning in the ACT. The task, as I have described it, is probably too great for a standing committee of the Assembly to undertake and complete within a reasonable timeframe. The ACT Government, with all its resources, can better cope with a task of this importance and magnitude for the Territory. We know what an important task the development of a strategic plan is. We heard a lot about urban renewal and strategic planning last week during the debate on Mr Lamont's motion.
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