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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 1 Hansard (16 February) . . Page.. 218 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

The other matter I wish to speak about is perhaps a more concerning development, and that is a planning Minister who does not understand the Land Act. We had the spectacle today of the Minister for planning putting out a press statement saying that Labor's plan for the creation of a truly independent statutory chief planner for the ACT would result in the bureaucratisation of planning. Perhaps more red tape would be the Minister's argument.

The Minister's argument against Labor's announcement today was simply along the lines of: "We already have a land and planning commissioner who decides the fate of planning proposals that have attracted objections independent of the Government and the planning bureaucracy". If the Minister had taken the time to read my media statement today, he would have seen that the Labor Party's proposal was to provide for a chief planner with statutory independence whose primary role would be to administer and review the Territory Plan as well as to recommend when variations to the plan were required and to prepare those variations.

Does the Commissioner for Land and Planning administer the Territory Plan? Does the Commissioner for Land and Planning review and prepare variations to the plan? No, he does not. The Commissioner for Land and Planning is independent and he does perform an important role, but that role is entirely contained to decisions in relation to development applications and objections to development applications. Perhaps the Minister should study the Land Act a little more closely before he attacks independence. The Minister is far more interested in protecting his own influence and the political influence of the Government when it comes to variations of the Territory Plan than he is in integrity in planning in Canberra.

MR HIRD (5.27): Mr Speaker, I would like to inform the house that, come the 25th of this month, the Royal Canberra Show Society will be once again putting on the show, not only for the ACT but for the south-east region of New South Wales. I trust that everyone will be there for the three days of activities. There is also the judging leading up to the show, undertaken by a number of eminent judges who have been doing it for some time. The 25th is Seniors Day, which gives seniors a concession. I know that a number of my constituents will be taking advantage of that.

This year, with the help of the Minister for Urban Services and his staff, for the first time an ACTION bus will take patrons from the interchanges at Belconnen and Civic and drop them inside the showground. The one fare will take them there, give them entry and take them back to the interchange. This idea is not new. This was done for the Royal Sydney Show when it moved from its earlier location to Homebush.

Through this forum, I would like to sincerely thank the Minister on behalf of the President of the Royal Canberra Show, Stephen Beer, and the board of that show. Also on behalf of all those who will participate in the show, I thank the Minister and the staff and all who have helped make this show, which will be one of the biggest and best yet.

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