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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (6 December) . . Page.. 3737 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

I recognise that the minister has acceded to the inevitable and will be accepting this motion. (Extension of time granted.) But I suggest that if you take on board the process that has led to this situation then maybe this sort of thing will not happen over and over again. It is very obvious to the people of Canberra that the only time you get involved in public consultation is when you are dragged kicking and screaming to it. In case this is not obvious to a couple of people in the ACT, we intend to make sure that they know as we wander aimlessly around Canberra stirring up discontent in relation to infill.

MR HIRD (11.34): Mr Speaker, I have lived in Canberra for many years and, like you, I was a member of the previous advisory body. I recall that in the 1960s the NCDC had a master plan for the territory ring road system and it was proposed that this area of land would be part of the new town centre in the Tuggeranong valley.

I have vivid memories of the flash flood in 1971 which resulted in loss of life. Unfortunately and sadly, three children from the suburb of Lyons were drowned. Members of the then ACT police displayed extreme bravery in rescuing a number of citizens from their motor vehicles. Those police officers received awards, and justly so.

We must all remember that these errors in a planning sense were made by the National Capital Development Commission which, as a planner, was supposedly at that time the leader in Australia and, in the opinion of some people, the world. The NCDC planned the area that led into Yarra Glen. I must say that such a disaster should never ever occur again.

Under a Labor government in 1993 the vacant land which is the subject of the motion before the Assembly was designated for residential use under the Territory Plan. I understand that, under the government land release program, in June of this year the land was scheduled for sale in 2001. An undertaking was given to appoint consultants to look at the proposed options for this area and as part of that process local residents were informed.

Back in October of this year a public information exchange forum was held at the Mawson Primary School and, as Mr Quinlan indicated, approximately 200 residents attended. I understand that you, Mr Speaker, were there. Also, Mr Corbell, a representative from the Greens and, I understand, a representative of the minister were in attendance. But let us not kid ourselves - and I do not have to defend the minister as he is quite capable of doing so himself: we all have busy schedules and ministers have commitments that cover a large number of other jurisdictions. So that should be taken into consideration.

I understand that 90 public comments were recorded at that meeting. Those submissions, of course, will be dealt with by the department in their report. I also understand that, as a result of that meeting, traffic investigations were undertaken in respect of the street in which our colleague, Mr Quinlan, used to live - I think he said at No 86. These traffic investigations were carried out in response to public concerns as to traffic flows and the proposed development of land which was identified for residential use in 1993, and I do not have to reiterate who made that decision.

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