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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 3 Hansard (6 March) . . Page.. 589 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

standards for the siting of these towers and telecommunications facilities but also the requirements of the land act as such.

Of course, there are those that say that that is not adequate at this stage. I believe that what is approved does meet the standards and that that is adequate until there is data otherwise. There is a large amount of work being done round the world, some of which is inconclusive, some of which says that the current situation is safe, and some of which says that it is not safe. What we have to do is to wait until the federal inquiry is finished, and I will get information for the member on where that is at and we will draw our conclusions from that.

Residential development applications

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, my question is also to the Minister for Urban Services. Minister, the proposed policies for residential development for the ACT, also known as ACTCode 2, that you issued in a draft form in September of last year include the following statement:

Minister, given this statement, will you now explain why PALM is requiring development applicants to adhere to the draft ACT code which has no legal effect in deciding whether PALM will refuse or approve applications? Will you indicate the number of applications that have been refused in these circumstances by PALM?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, the revisions to ACTCode 2 also included two other documents, the draft verge guidelines and the list of appropriate plants to restore the bush capital, because we all know that some of the planning mistakes that Simon Corbell always refers to as Bill Wood's planning mistakes back in the early 1990s have led to less acceptable outcomes. We think the street width is too narrow. We think there should be more room for trees to grow. We think we should guarantee that the bush capital survives. We are very keen to do that. Everything that this government does is aimed at building up the social capital of the ACT, making it a better place in which to live. That is the whole point of ACTCode 2.

Mr Corbell: Do they have legal effect?

MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Corbell! You have asked your question.

Mr Corbell: He is not answering the question, Mr Speaker.

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, the purpose of ACTCode 2 has been explained. Mr Corbell asked whether applications have been denied; if so, how many? I am not aware; I would have to find out. The important thing here, Mr Speaker, is about what it is that we seek to achieve.

Mr Corbell: You don't know.

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