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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (27 August) . . Page.. 2546 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

The public notices section in the Canberra Times is sometimes full of invitations for public comment on different things that parties, including the Government, are doing. I simply say that we should be a little bit careful about how much we seek to get the community to do in respect of such matters.

MR MOORE (4.20), in reply: Thank you, Mr Humphries, for that comment. I concede that there are times when consultation does appear to be overzealous, to use your term; but sometimes it is far better to be a little overzealous and be satisfied that we have reached the community in dealing with these issues than to have the situation of some years ago - you and I were certainly very conscious of it - when the opposite was happening. It was quite clear that we were not getting to the numbers of people we should have been getting to. I hope that we will be able to find the appropriate balance.

I am also conscious of the fact that one of the easiest arguments to put, if somebody disagrees with something, is that there was not enough consultation. We have certainly heard that argument again and again. I have sat in this place - and I believe that you have, Mr Humphries, and I certainly know that Mr Kaine has - when such comments have been made about the outcomes of the Territory Plan, when it has been said that there was not enough consultation. I have always said that that was absolute nonsense. There were thousands of submissions on the Territory Plan. I did not like the outcome in particular and I argued about how the consultation was dealt with in some ways, but to say that there was not enough consultation was quite patently nonsense. Getting the balance right is what we need to be careful about. I believe that if we rely too heavily on consultation we will get to a point where we never do anything. It is appropriate that we retain a reasonably solid outcome focus. That is also part of striking a correct balance.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

MR MOORE (4.22): It gives me pleasure to present Report No. 31 of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment, entitled "Further Report on Draft Variation No. 55 to the Territory Plan: Residential Land Use Policies - Provisions for Temporary Care Accommodation", together with a copy of extracts of the minutes of proceedings. This report was provided to the Speaker for circulation on Friday, 8 August 1997, pursuant to the resolution of appointment. I move:

That the report be noted.

The issue of draft variation No. 55 is interesting. It is one of the two variations that we have sent back to the Government to handle in a slightly different way or to meet some objection that the committee had. As with Report No. 30, the Government has met the concerns of the committee. However, I must say that there is still an underlying concern,

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