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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 3 Hansard (7 March) . . Page.. 602 ..

MS TUCKER: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services. The Planning and Land Management Group in Urban Services has three processes under way at the moment - an environmental management plan for Civic, due for completion in June; a cultural strategy and action plan for Civic, due for completion around now; and data collection and analysis of social services and facilities in and around Civic, taking into account the proposed increase in Civic's population, also nearing completion. However, the functional briefs for the Griffin Centre and the nearby youth facility for the redevelopment of section 56 have already been completed under the guidance of the Department of Education and Community Services and the preferred tenderer, Queensland Investment Corporation, is proceeding to design stage on that basis. Given that the analysis of social services and facilities and the environmental management plan ought to have a strong impact on the nature of the development, how do you justify proceeding to this degree of detail on functional briefs alone when your own research and planning have yet to be completed?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, the world does not end because one section of PALM is doing some work. QIC is quite entitled, under the brief that they have been given as the preferred tenderer, to start the work that they wish to do. We will have input to what they do and I am sure that they will take account of the plans that we are putting together.

MR SPEAKER: Do you have a supplementary question, Ms Tucker?

MS TUCKER: That was not an answer to my question in any way, Mr Speaker, but I will not ask the same question again because I can see that you would probably rule it out of order as repetition.

MR SPEAKER: It would have to be much briefer.

MS TUCKER: I will ask a supplementary question, even though I did not get an answer. Mr Smyth, will you stop this process until the three studies commissioned have reported and we have had a proper and informed community discussion about community needs and the environmental imperatives for our city before this significant development proceeds? Mr Moore is helping you with the answer, I can see. It is not necessary, Mr Moore. Mr Smyth fails to answer it on his own.

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, the whole process on section 56 has been going on for some time and there has been an enormous amount of consultation on what the community wants there. The process can continue; but, of course, we will take into account and QIC will take into account the things that we will determine in the three reviews that are currently under way. There is no reason to stop a process that began several years ago when there has been more community consultation on what should happen with section 56 than there is on many projects that go ahead in the ACT. The process is good, Mr Speaker.

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