Page 1929 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
are given proper consideration. We are, however, dependent on the NCPA to take the initiative on this. Another player is the ANU, which occupies the northern part of the peninsula, and there should be some combination of effort there.
The position is made more complicated by the fact that, though the planning responsibility rests with the Commonwealth, the land where the former hospital is located is Territory land, not national land, and is under the control of this Assembly for land administration but not, of course, in relation to planning. It may be that the Commonwealth may wish, in the future, to change that status. Perhaps, as Ms Szuty suggested, it may wish to exchange some part of it for some national land elsewhere; but that is pure speculation. We have, however, to recognise the constraints of the dual system of land ownership and land planning in the ACT. At this stage the Government has not considered the long-term use of the site in detail. Nor has it made a definitive statement about its views or its preferences for the peninsula. The Chief Minister has written to the Prime Minister, and through him to Wendy Fatin, the responsible Minister, indicating our preference for certain health facilities on that site.
The main reason why there has not been a definitive statement is that there are a lot of issues yet to be resolved. The first series of discussions will need to be with the Commonwealth, particularly with the planning and land authorities. Some informal discussions at officer level have been held with the National Capital Planning Authority. In order to bring forward ideas for the future development of the site and the nearby foreshores of Lake Burley Griffin around to the Acton terminal, a planning study of the area is being undertaken. The Planning Authority has been involved in this, but the carriage is with the NCPA.
I understand that a discussion paper on this matter may soon be released. Indeed, it was the basis for an article earlier this year in the Canberra Times - an article that I think should not have appeared at that stage. The discussion paper will then be made available to the people of Canberra as quickly as possible. The important element is that the views of the people of Canberra be clearly expressed. I have, therefore, asked the ACT Planning Authority to request the NCPA to make its proposals available for public consultation as soon as possible. Another study that will have an impact on the use of the peninsula is the Lake Burley Griffin flood study which also is being coordinated by the NCPA.
In considering the future use of the Acton Peninsula we need to distinguish between two different things: One is the long-term use of the site and the other is the short-term use of the existing buildings. In the longer term, I have no doubt, the site will be developed in a manner that makes use of its special features and responds to the wishes of the people of Canberra. This will include, I expect, a health facility. In the short term we need to make the best use of the buildings that are now unoccupied. The ACT Government has an obligation to the residents to make the best use of the assets that it has at its disposal. It also has the obligation to see that they are not left empty, as were some of the schools that were closed in 1988 by the Commonwealth Government, or vandalised, as were the space tracking stations in Namadgi National Park.
We recognise that the Commonwealth may have an interest in the site for the development of an important national facility. In that case we would expect adequate compensation for the land involved. We also maintain that if Canberra were not the national capital the area would be developed for the local residents of Canberra, with a range of uses - uses to be decided by the people of Canberra.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .