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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 2 Hansard (9 March) . . Page.. 430 ..
MR SMYTH
: Variation No. 98 to the Territory Plan amends the schedules at part C2 of the water use and catchment policies to allow for the following. It allows for inclusion of new ponds in the schedules. It allows for updating of the purposes for which water may be used and the prescribed environmental values to bring the categories into line with the more detailed purposes in the ACT water quality guidelines. It allows for abstraction of water from urban streams to provide a second-class water supply. It also makes several corrections of a minor nature. These changes include amendments to the catchment map to make boundaries more explicit and changes to Schedule 2 to bring the Territory Plan into line with the Lake Burley Griffin management plan released by the National Capital Authority.Mr Speaker, during the public consultation period two written submissions were received on the draft variation, one from the Ginninderra Local Area Planning Advisory Committee and the other from the Majura LAPAC. The submission from the Ginninderra LAPAC supported the draft variation; the submission from the Majura LAPAC expressed concerns about possible pollution and smell downstream from the sewerage plant. Issues relating to possible pollution and smells downstream from the sewerage plant are beyond the scope of the draft variation. They relate more directly to the operation of the sewage treatment plant and are not matters that can generally be addressed in the Territory Plan.
Mr Speaker, in the plan, sewage treatment plants are provided for under the river corridors land use policy. The water catchment policies make provision for a range of water uses and environment values which are consistent with the conservation values of the various water catchments. Under Schedule 2 of the conservation, water use and catchment policies waste water discharge is limited to selected parts of the Murrumbidgee and Molonglo catchments. Issues relating to possible pollution and smell which may result from the operation of sewerage plants and waste water discharge are more appropriately covered by the relevant environment legislation.
Following public consultation the exhibited draft variation was revised to include "aquatic habitat - urban wetland" as a purpose for which water may be used within Schedule 5, the drainage and open space catchment policies. This category was inadvertently omitted from the original schedule in the draft variation.
The Standing Committee on Urban Services considered the draft variation and in report No. 18 of February 1999 endorsed the draft variation policy. I would thank the committee and their chair for their good work.
MS CARNELL (Chief Minister and Treasurer): I have some answers to questions taken on notice on 17 and 18 February by Mr Moore. I have signed letters to Mr Hargreaves, Ms Tucker and Mr Stanhope sending copies of these but they do need to be tabled. I also seek leave to incorporate them in Hansard.
Leave granted.
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