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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 1 Hansard (14 February) . . Page.. 168 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

the conversion of what are effectively semi-rural blocks into areas of conventional prestige suburb.

For that reason, the evidence presented by both Professor Weirick and Professor Ken Taylor highlighted the fact that dual occupancy development would have an impact on the heritage values of the place, a place which has direct associations with the work of Walter Burley Griffin and Sir John Sulman, the first chairman of the Federal Capital Advisory Committee.

All those facts are on the table. They were presented to the planning committee's inquiry and they led to the motion supported by a majority of members in this place on 28 June last year not to allow dual occupancy development in this area because of its heritage significance.

Mr Speaker, what we have had since is a very concerning development. It seems to me that the word "review" has been taken to suggest that there are options as to whether dual occupancy development should continue to be allowed in the Old Red Hill precinct. The review conducted by PALM and supported by the government indicates that there is no need for a restriction on the development intensity insofar as it relates to the number of dwellings in Old Red Hill. But the wording of the original motion was quite explicit. It said:

and these are the important words, Mr Speaker-

The wishes of this Assembly were clear. Despite that, we are in a situation now where the expressed wishes of this place as directed by the minister, by the executive, have been ignored.

My motion today makes it even plainer. We should not have to make it even plainer, but we will. My motion today recommends to the executive "that the ACT Planning Authority be directed to implement policies which provide for a development intensity of not more than one dwelling on any block in the area known as the Red Hill housing precinct as described in Variation 114 Heritage Places Register-Red Hill Housing Precinct"; implement policies to provide for no more than one dwelling on any block. That is what we meant back in June of last year. That was quite clear. For some reason it has not happened, so we have to come back and make it clearer still.

I would imagine that the minister will climb to his feet shortly and say, "Well, well, well, what do we have here from Simon Corbell? We have a situation where Simon Corbell wants to have an independent planning authority, but he is not happy when it makes decisions which are contrary to the wishes of the Assembly." Mr Smyth needs to understand that the view I take and other Labor members take in this place is that we do need an independent planning authority; but, if the elected representatives of the people

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