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The report also contained a number of recommendations which have to be addressed and which, presumably, are important to the committee and possibly to the Assembly for the purposes of deciding whether to disallow the variation. Some relate to matters of development implementation rather than planning policy. These include access to the site by members of the public, improvements to the Ellenborough Street-Barton Highway intersection, the widening of Mouat Street, and the construction of traffic lights at the Cossington Smith Street south intersection. There are other recommendations related to the structure and format of future reports and matters of lease administration and betterment.

Mr Speaker, the Government is supportive of the committee's recommendations in broad terms. The Government proposes to respond positively to, particularly, the work suggested for particular streets in the ACT. I want to put on record, however, my disquiet at one aspect of this process. I am not at all convinced, for example, that the widening of Mouat Street, close to Southwell Park, where it joins Northbourne Avenue, constitutes work which, in any way, is consequential on the development of that particular part of Yowani golf course. It may well be arguable that this work is appropriate in light of increasing traffic volume from Belconnen. It is one thing to say that; it is another thing to say that support for the variation to allow Yowani Country Club to build houses on part of its land should be dependent upon there being a widening of Mouat Street just near Northbourne Avenue. As it happens, Mr Speaker, it is relatively easy for the Government to upgrade a particular roadwork proposal in the capital works program to ensure that some attempt is made to match the requests of the Planning and Environment Committee. But, if that were not the case - had it been the case, the Government had no intention of doing this particular roadwork and did not believe that it was justifiable in its own right - I would certainly be concerned that in some way it was being tied into the work on the development of the Yowani Country Club. As it happens, in this case, there is no problem with that issue and, provided that other things occur, the work will go ahead. But I certainly hope that members do not believe and expect that the approval of variations to the Territory Plan could be viewed as an opportunity for any form of pork-barrelling - I use the word very kindly - to put onto the Government agenda particular proposals which otherwise would not merit being there or being there with the urgency which the committee might attach to that particular project. I commend the response to the Assembly.

MR MOORE (3.31): Mr Speaker, although I have not had the Government response for more than a few minutes, and I was in my office listening to what Mr Humphries said in the initial instance, I think it is very rewarding for a committee to have a Government response that is positive. I always expect that there will be some issues on which the Government has some questions over what a committee has recommended. There may be something that the committee has missed and that the Government is aware of, and a Government response is the appropriate time to bring that out. I am delighted, first of all, that the inquiry that has been announced will deal with the recommendation in paragraph 42. The recommendations in paragraph 39 have been responded to positively. The development on that piece of land was originally approved in principle by the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee. With those few other matters taken care of, this should make for a reasonable opportunity for development.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

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