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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (19 August) . . Page.. 2751 ..

MR HARGREAVES (continuing):

thousands of Belconnenites and Tuggeranongites who were absolutely aghast at this draft variation. We actually had a few hundred people from Downer and they had a legitimate concern, in my view. We had some people from Dickson and we had some people from Turner and then we had to go begging for submissions from the Weston Creek and Tuggeranong community councils because they had not put theirs in.

Unfortunately, Mrs Dunne is suffering from selective amnesia, because she does not recall the letter she signed to go to the Tuggeranong Community Council saying, "Do you want another bite of the cherry?"They gratefully accepted the invitation. They made the point that there was not much in draft variation 200 that adversely affected the people of Tuggeranong, so their appearance was rather brief.

I remember that quite distinctly. If my memory is a little hazy, it may be that it was said in a conversation I had with the president of that council independently and I have got the two mixed up. Notwithstanding that, there was not a great deal of opposition other than from people in the Dickson/Downer/Turner area. I thought that their concerns, for the most part, were reasonably legitimate.

But the big one for me-and committee members will remember my saying this repeatedly-was about the 800 or 700 square metres block limit. I am absolutely pleased that the government is leaving it at 800 square metres. That will fix itself. There are plenty of blocks around this town of 800 square metres; we don't have to go down to 700 square metres. I am pleased as punch about that.

Mr Speaker, I am not going to go on. I will not be supporting this motion of disallowance. Mrs Dunne's assertion that I got rolled in caucus is quite incorrect. I will just treat that remark with the contempt that it is due.

Mr Corbell did, in fact, concede the point that the committee made about 700 and 800 square metres block limits. The community consultation process, in my view, was brilliant-all credit to the officers concerned. I have to say that, once a committee has made a recommendation to the Assembly and the government has responded, let the community decide. How many times have we heard the bleating sheep opposite say, "Let the community decide. Let's go to the community and get them to decide."No, this time the shadow minister for bleating, leading the charge for the Liberals, has decided that the Liberal Party knows much better than the community at large.

I would argue, Mr Speaker, that the community has spoken in that the concerned citizens of Downer, Dickson and so on had their say, but the rest of the place was deafening in its silence. Quite frankly, the rest did not care less. Take a look at the number of submissions you had from Page. Take a look at the number of submissions you had from Hawker. Take a look at the number of submissions you had from Stirling. Take a look at the number of submission you had from Conder. Take a look at the number of submission you had from Barton.

Mr Smyth: What about the Manuka LAPAC?

MR HARGREAVES: Yes, I agree with time out being signalled. I was just responding to the interjections of the Leader of the Opposition. He is such an

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