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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 3 Hansard (28 March) . . Page.. 820 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

will advertise nationally, commencing this Saturday, for a team of experienced senior managers to head the Planning and Land Management Division. While existing officers are free to apply, they do so on a competitive merit basis against others who may apply from outside the existing planning and land management structures or the ACT Public Service.

Before I move on from the subject of organisation, I should speak briefly of the potential for further integration of Canberra's planning through a closer cooperation with the new Commonwealth Government. Members will recall that in my ministerial statement, "Planning for the Next Generation", I advocated a rethinking of the respective roles of the Commonwealth and the ACT in Canberra's planning. In the recent Federal election the Liberal and National parties adopted a commitment to a more streamlined planning system for the ACT, one that maximises the ability of the ACT Government and the residents to determine planning and land management issues within the context of a "national interest" framework.

In light of this commitment, the time is ripe for us to build on the cooperation established through the joint strategic review of the Metropolitan Plan. The Government has already had discussions with the new Commonwealth Minister, Warwick Smith, seeking his review of the Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988, a Commonwealth Act, consistent with the coalition's election policies. We will also be looking to build closer relationships and to align processes such as the amendment of the National Capital and Territory Plans. This gives effect to a recommendation of the Red Tape Task Force and can be done in the context of amendments to the Land (Planning and Environment) Act.

Establishing the necessary processes to ensure that the community is involved in planning processes continues to have a high priority. The Government supports the idea of specific area "development control plans", as proposed by the board of inquiry. The Government sees these as complementary to the current precinct management and local area planning advisory committee processes. Procedures to develop specific development control plans will be put in place in areas where redevelopment pressure is greatest, and will be done in close consultation with local community and commercial stakeholders.

Precinct management is a technique that allows for the coordination of departmental functions by area. Precinct managers will work within the context of the current initiatives. Upon completion of the current trial of local area planning advisory committees, these and the precinct management program will be reviewed, in consultation with the community, to determine the best approach. It is possible that different areas will require different structures and processes, depending on the nature of the issues at the local level.

Through the process review initiated in 1994, several initiatives have been taken to streamline the application and approval procedures. Implementation of the process review, which is now complete, has seen the following initiatives: An applications secretariat has been established to streamline the processing of building and development applications; preapplication meetings have been introduced to help clients properly

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