Page 2648 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 24 August 1994
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MR MOORE (5.11): Madam Speaker, this legislation results from a very long process that the Assembly has been through. I guess that I was involved in part of that process as a member of the Conservation, Heritage and Environment Committee when we brought down our report on rural leases in the ACT. As I recall, that reference was actually suggested to the committee by Mrs Robyn Nolan, who was at the time a member of the ACT Legislative Assembly.
Madam Speaker, in November last year I received a letter from the Rural Lessees Association, which drew attention to some of the problems of the draft Bill, as they saw them. I have gone through that letter and have compared the points raised in it with the Bill that was tabled by Mr Wood. I note that, where I consider it appropriate, those concerns were taken into account in drafting the Bill. I should also draw attention to the fact that, generally, the rural lessees were particularly happy with the Bill, even in its original draft form; but they expressed some quite specific concerns about a number of clauses in the Bill. The Minister has responded to those concerns in a way that I consider to be satisfactory.
It is a change in approach that reflects the maturing of this city. It was appropriate that the withdrawal clause was in those leases when we were at the broad development stage of this city. The whole purpose of the Government holding those leases was to allow for the development of Canberra. But it has become clearer and clearer that it is inappropriate for us to allow the perimeter of Canberra to expand much further. It is also appropriate for us to allow those lessees to have some security of land tenure - and I think this is most important - so that they can take a pride in ownership of the lease and look after that land. When they have the opportunity to look after their land, we can expect to see far greater land care. I know that that is an issue of concern to all members of the Assembly.
As a side benefit - and in many ways it is connected with that - it allows rural lessees to approach banks and other lending institutions in order to have a reasonable mortgage situation. At the same time, it allows this community, should it change its mind and decide that we wish to use land in a different way, to acquire that land, in a way that is very similar to that achieved in other States. For those reasons, Madam Speaker, I am very comfortable about supporting the Bill. I congratulate the Minister on getting it to this stage.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
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