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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 13 Hansard (5 December) . . Page.. 4480 ..

MS McRAE (continuing):

One accusation that was made and that I thought from the beginning was perhaps a little unfair was that the PER was biased towards the proponents. My reading of it did not yield that. I think further examination of the further evidence presented has shown, as much as possible, that a very fair, analytical and thorough account has been given of the responses to the concerns that have been rightly raised by the residents of McKellar and other people in Belconnen.

I know that a numbers game is going to be played with petitions. I am aware that there was some level of activity this morning about 600 signatures that have been gathered. I want to put on record that we have added up all the other signatures that have been gathered for the proposal, and there are at least 1,000 that are for it. This numbers game could go on forever and I do not think it sways the decision that is being made. I think there is clearly a support for the project which is warranted. I think a need for the project has been demonstrated. As much as the Minister can, with the support of his advisers through the bureaucracy, he has genuinely, openly and thoroughly responded to each of the concerns that have been raised. I recognise that there will be people who are still anxious; but I do think, on balance, that there is neither a need for further inquiry by the Planning and Environment Committee nor any further need to make other demands of the Minister in regard to this site.

I think that in the long run this will be an initiative that will be greatly applauded by a great many people in Belconnen. It is situated in an excellent place to service outer Belconnen - Fraser and Charnwood and the outer areas. Also, the roads that bug people are the very roads that are going to be extremely good for the site because it is at an intersection and will deal, in the short term, with a lot of the needs from Gungahlin as well as outer Belconnen, and in the long run it will be a facility that is well overdue for Belconnen, as anybody who has used the Hawker site is well aware of. It will produce an excellent sporting facility for futsal players, God help me! Having said something in support of futsal, Mrs Carnell, are you listening? It will be really good for futsal. It will be excellent for soccer. It will provide a recreational facility which is much needed. It will provide comfortable stadium seating for parents who have long suffered on the verges of the Hawker oval, and the licensed club will provide entertainment and a pleasant place for adults to meet and spend time.

I think some of the future hopes of the club are grandiose and likely never to be realised, but I applaud them for their vision and their longer-term plans. I do not think it is wrong for a club to want the very best and the very biggest for their own particular sport. I will be the first one to eat my hat if some of the claims ever come through, because some of them are grand beyond expectation; but I think that is more to be applauded than to be condemned. Having now seen the care with which the concerns have been dealt with, I sincerely hope that any further concerns can be dealt with and the lease can be finally let.

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