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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (30 August) . . Page.. 3787 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

design policies-but he is not prepared to resubmit the entire document. In doing so he is claiming that because the committee did not comment specifically on any concerns with the goals or strategic principles proposed in the new revised part A, it was okay for him to proceed. That is a misreading of the committee's recommendation, at least from my perspective.

The committee, from my perspective, had some concerns about a number of the principles and goals outlined in the revised part A. It chose, however, not to comment on them because it believed it was more appropriate to consider the entirety of draft variation 155 at the same time that it considered draft variation 125, so it is not acceptable for the minister simply to seek to separate out the one element the committee did choose to comment upon and then say, "Well, then we assume everything else is all right." He is wrong on that point, and in that respect the government's response is disappointing and not adequate.

Mr Speaker, the government's other responses, from my quick reading of his statement and the formal written response, seem to be generally consistent with the approach recommended by the committee, and in that respect those responses are welcomed; but I should stress that the government's response to recommendation No 1, which is the key recommendation of this report, is disappointing and I think fails to fully understand the context in which the committee chose to recommend that draft variation No 155 be resubmitted. Of course, a lot of this is academic because any new draft variation or a revised draft variation must be tabled in the Assembly prior to it taking effect, and that cannot take place until the commencement of the next Assembly.

I think the government should take some heed of the issues I have raised in response to the minister's statement. I do not know whether he will be, but if, by some circumstance, he is responsible after the election for responding to these matters, I hope he takes those comments into account in the unfortunate situation where he has to do that.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Territory Plan review

Paper

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services, Minister for Business, Tourism and the Arts and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (4.06): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present the following paper:

Territory Plan-Territory Plan Review-Part A (General Principles and Policies-Draft Variation No 155 to the Territory Plan.

I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

Question resolved in the affirmative.