Page 1920 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 June 1993
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As members will be aware, the preparation of the plan was a requirement of legislation. The Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988 required the Assembly to establish a Territory Planning Authority and to confer on it a number of functions. A principal one was the preparing and administering of a plan of land. The object of this plan, as given in the Act, is to ensure, in a manner not inconsistent with the National Capital Plan, the planning and development of the Territory to provide the people of the Territory with an attractive, safe and efficient environment in which to live, work and have their recreation.
Madam Speaker, one of the prime features of our Government is its commitment to public consultation. The Territory Plan is a tremendous example of this. The consultation on the Territory Plan has been open, strongly focused, sensitive to the issues and determined to ensure that the residents of Canberra have a wide range of opportunities to be involved in the formulation of the plan. After initial consultation with the public at the end of 1990 about the issues that should be addressed in the plan, a draft Territory Plan was released for public comment in October 1991. A period of five months was allowed for public comments, ending in March 1992. Over 1,000 written comments were received from members of the public, community and professional groups, and government agencies, including the National Capital Planning Authority. Each separate issue raised by these comments was considered in reviewing the plan. The report on the consultation, prepared by the ACT Planning Authority, documents the response to the over 10,000 separate issues raised.
A revised plan was submitted to the ACT Executive in November 1992. On 1 December 1992 it was referred to the Legislative Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Infrastructure for inquiry and report. In the early months of this year the committee held a series of meetings with members of the community to give them a final opportunity to present their views. Following briefings with the Planning Authority and public hearings on the plan, the PDI Committee prepared a report recommending changes. This report was tabled in the Assembly on 20 May 1993. Accompanying the report was a revised version of the plan, with changes to the written statement and the map. I commend the work of the PDI Committee. This was probably the most important task that it has undertaken to date. The report is concise, sensitive to the issues and clear in its presentation of them. The whole exercise demonstrates the value and growing maturity of the Assembly committee process. The Assembly now has the opportunity to complement the work of the committee by approving the new plan.
Following the tabling of the committee's report, the Executive returned the draft plan to the ACT Planning Authority under section 26 of the land Act and directed it to consider the committee's report and the Government's general support of its recommendations. The Planning Authority revised the plan in accordance with this direction and resubmitted the plan in its amended form for approval. The Executive has now approved the plan as amended and it is now tabled in the Assembly. All of the recommendations in the committee's report relating to the plan have been accepted and have been incorporated in the plan.
Mr Kaine: Well, they were so soundly thought through.
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