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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 9 Hansard (17 November) . . Page.. 2575 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

The draft variation was released for public comment in conjunction with a draft amendment to the National Capital Plan and an environmental impact statement. To avoid duplication of the EIS process, the former Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning formally agreed to give full faith and credit to the New South Wales impact assessment process, in accordance with Schedule 3 of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Environment. Full faith and credit was given on the basis that the ACT would have input to the draft joint assessment report, in order for the EIS to meet the requirements of the ACT Land Act and the ACT Territory Plan. The ACT contributed to the joint assessment report on 23 October 1997, thereby meeting the requirements of the Land Act.

Mr Speaker, the New South Wales Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning accepted the assessment report, which contained conditions for approval, and gave approval to the project on 20 January 1998. The Commonwealth Minister for the Environment decided on 8 May 1998 that the New South Wales process satisfied their EIA obligations and no further impact assessment under the Commonwealth legislation was required. Consequently, the EIA process of all three parties was completed.

Mr Speaker, project design and documentation are being fast-tracked with a view to enabling work to commence in January 1999. The projected completion date is June 2000, so that the duplication is open in time for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

The variation has been revised to respond to amendment No. 19 to the National Capital Plan. The indicative location of the proposed high-speed slip lane has been adjusted so that it will not impact on the Remembrance Drive plantations along the highway. The variation has also been revised to incorporate an amended alignment for Horse Park Drive. The alignment has been adjusted following more detailed investigation, in association with the location of a new gas pipeline into Gungahlin. The pipeline has been located within the Horse Park Drive road reserve. Adjoining land use policies and overlays on the Territory Plan map have been adjusted in accordance with the new alignment.

Mr Speaker, the Standing Committee on Urban Services considered the draft variation and, in report No. 8 of October 1998, endorsed the draft variation. In endorsing the variation, the committee suggested that an informal consultative group, including wildlife officers from the Government and representatives of community conservation groups, be established to monitor construction activity. Mr Speaker, the project team has now briefed the Conservation Council and ACT for Trees about the project and arranged a site inspection with representatives of both groups. The project team acknowledges their helpful suggestions and would be happy to maintain dialogue with these groups during construction.

Mr Speaker, the committee also recommended that plantings of new trees, understorey plants and grasses along the new alignment be of species native to that area and that, where possible, the collection of seeds for this purpose be from plants along the proposed alignment. Species of trees and shrubs native to the area are to be used extensively in the plantings to achieve the landscape objectives set for the project.

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