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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 11 Hansard (14 December) . . Page.. 3075 ..

MR MOORE (continuing):

f) the transparency of relevant processes and public confidence in them; and

g) any other related matters concerning the administration of the ACT leasehold system as may appear to require examination.

2. In light of the Inquiry's findings about 1 above, make recommendations for any desirable reforms.

3. Consider and make recommendations on (i) the circumstances in which betterment should be charged and (ii) the appropriate levels of betterment, taking into account:

a) the likely impacts on economic activity generally, and in particular the growth and level of investment when compared to alternative land tenure systems;

b) the likely impact on the good planning of the ACT;

c) the term and renewal conditions of commercial and residential leases;

d) other ways by which an appropriate return can be made, directly or indirectly to the community from increases in the value of land; and

e) any other relevant matter.

Madam Deputy Speaker, Mr Wood has done the very thing that he has accused the inquiry of doing. They had specific terms of reference which they addressed. Over the last half-hour or so he identified a series of things that he thinks they should have done, but they did not do. He used the term "ambush" rather late in his speech, and he also, a number of times, identified just one member of the committee of inquiry. Of course, there were three members of the committee of inquiry, and there are only one or two occasions, I think, when a dissenting voice is offered, so it is a unanimous report by Justice Stein, Professor Patrick Troy and Mr Robert Yeomans.

Mr Wood, it was not, in any sense at all, my report. The Planning and Environment Committee unanimously called on the Government to carry out this inquiry. Perhaps the reason you think it is my report is that I asked you to do exactly the same thing three or four years ago. Had you done the same thing three or four years ago we would have been through this process much earlier. We could have looked at the problems of the leasehold system and planning, rather than always looking at the positive aspects. There were positive aspects. That is why, when the Territory Plan came before this Assembly, as you mentioned, I voted for it. I voted for it because there were positive aspects to it.

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