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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (28 November) . . Page.. 3286 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

pipes are. It also has a yes or no column showing where no decisions have been made. He is willing to put out one document, but he only ever tells half the story.

Let me go on, Mr Speaker. Labor says that this government is failing when it comes to planning, but the Territory Plan that this city is being built on was put in place by Labor-by Bill Wood, the former minister. You would almost have to wonder whether this was about preselection.

Labor went to the last election, as did the Greens, supporting urban infill. Labor says that the ACT government has plans to convert all open space to infill. The Chief Minister has ruled that out. Since the Territory Plan's inception in 1993, there have been only five variations to convert urban open space to other uses and four of those were agreed to by Mr Corbell.

Mr Corbell: What about Lake Tuggeranong? What about Lake Ginninderra?

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Corbell! You will have a chance to ask a question, perhaps.

Mr Corbell: It is a very long answer, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: The minister is just winding up.

MR SMYTH: A further mistake that Labor has made is that Mr Corbell has claimed that the government is only concerned with revenue from land sales. From 1991 to 1995, Labor released 11,000 blocks in an attempt to balance their budget, and in doing so drove house prices down by about 30 per cent. Compare that with the 3,000 blocks released under the Liberal government from 1995 to the present, and we have managed to balance the books with good financial management.

Labor says that this government is letting dual occupancies take over our suburbs. From 1992 to 1995, Labor approved 637 dual occupancies. The Liberal government has approved only 417-

Mr Corbell: How long is this answer going to go on for, Mr Speaker?

MR SPEAKER: Minister, wind up, please; this answer is getting too long.

Mr Berry: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. Are twitching and squirming part of an answer?

MR SPEAKER: Sit down, otherwise you will be twitching and squirming.

MR SMYTH: You can tell that they have been stung. Mr Speaker, I could go on. Perhaps I should get up in the adjournment debate and finish off.

Mr Speaker, people should have a choice about where they live. People should have the opportunity to remain in their suburbs when they wish to retire and change the style of accommodation they have. This government will provide for that.

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