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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 5004 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

of justice and from the cabinet office in relation to the issue. The government stands ready to respond to all requests from the coroner. The government will participate to the extent requested and desired. We will respond to all requests from the coroner.

Land sales

MRS DUNNE: My question is to the Minister for Planning and relates to the government's land venture at Wells Station. Mr Corbell, your government has been critical in the past of developers selling subdivisions before they have been approved, but the plans for the subdivision balloted on Saturday did not contain block and section numbers, but alphabetical references. For instance, the first block balloted was designated "KKu"and had no block and section number. Does this alphabetical designation indicate that the subdivision was not approved before it was put up for ballot?

MR CORBELL: I am not aware whether the subdivision has been formally carried out with the Land Titles Office. I will, of course, make inquiries and provide the information to Mrs Dunne. I think, though, that the Land Development Agency is engaging in a normal process for land sales in new greenfields areas and I cannot recall occasions when the government has criticised similar proposals by the private sector in the terms Mrs Dunne outlined.

MRS DUNNE: I have a supplementary question. Will the minister ensure that the blocks currently do legally exist? Can he assure the Assembly that this is not part of the government's profit at all cost approach to land development?

MR CORBELL: That was a silly comment from Mrs Dunne, because the bottom line is that you cannot sell a block of land unless you can give somebody a lease over it. As Mrs Dunne knows, people did not pay for a lease on Saturday; they paid a deposit. They paid a deposit for that block of land; they did not pay for title over that land. They have not made full payment for that block of land; they have paid a deposit. That is a normal process and the government, of course, will only receive full payment for that land when the lease title is granted to the buyer. That is pretty basic stuff-something I thought the shadow planning minister would have got her head around after two years in the job.

Aged persons accommodation

MS DUNDAS: Mr Speaker, through you, my question is to the Minister for Planning, Minister Corbell. Minister, I understand that some non-profit organisations have investigated the construction of aged persons rental accommodation on concessional leases that they hold, but they have been informed by ACTPLA staff that they will be liable for the full change-of-use charge if granted a lease variation to permit a multi-unit development.

Under what circumstances does ACTPLA use its discretion, which is in the legislation, to waive the payment of a change-of-use charge?

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, discretion to waive a change-of-use charge is not the responsibility of the planning authority; it is only vested in the Treasurer. The Treasurer

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