Page 1026 - Week 04 - Thursday, 1 April 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
including a community representative, each appointed by the relevant Federal Minister. With the transition to self-government, the provision for the community representative was deleted. Since that time, the Radiation Council has been required to function with only four members and has not had the benefit of a community representative.
The original Radiation Ordinance did not specify any requirement for expertise in radiation matters for the members nominated by the Australian National University and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. As the Radiation Council is charged with making decisions which require scientific knowledge and judgment, it is considered appropriate that the ACT should now specify that these members have relevant expertise for their role. In addition, the Bill amends the Radiation Act in several ways to improve administrative efficiency by formalising a procedure to allow the Minister to request information or advice from the council; enabling the council to have discretion to issue and renew licences in respect of the use of radioactive material and irradiating apparatus, and registration certificates in respect of irradiating apparatus, for any period of up to five years. The Bill also removes sexist language from the Act. Madam Speaker, I present the explanatory memorandum for the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mrs Carnell) adjourned.
BUILDINGS (DESIGN AND SITING) (AMENDMENT) BILL 1993
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (10.35): Madam Speaker, I present the Buildings (Design and Siting) (Amendment) Bill 1993.
Title read by Clerk.
MR WOOD: I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
The Buildings (Design and Siting) Act gives the ACT Planning Authority the power to grant or refuse approval to proposals for the external design and siting of buildings in the Territory. In its present form, the Act applies only to buildings as defined in the ordinary sense of the word, as well as to such things as signs, fences, masts and aerials, which the Act defines as structures. The amendment Bill extends the range of matters that will be subject to design and siting approval to include roads, paths, car parks, channels, tunnels and dams - in fact, any building works involving significant excavation or earthworks.
The purpose of bringing such works under design and siting control is to ensure the continuance of the existing high standard of urban design in the Territory and to ensure that environmentally sensitive areas are not subject to adverse impacts from development works. Works such as the construction of roads and the development of urban spaces such as parks are often significant contributors to landscape quality, but at present there is no statutory mechanism to require examination of such proposals to ensure the quality of their external design and to ensure that their siting does not adversely impact on their location.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .