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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 5238 ..

MRS DUNNE (continuing):

not include comprehensive plans for industrial land use. The government's policies refer to the importance of transport corridors-an issue that was raised by the Planning and Environment Committee.

One of the things that were recommended by the Planning and Environment Committee was the need to look at all industrial and commercial land in the ACT to establish whether there is enough, whether the mix is right, whether it is located in the right place, whether people are doing things in industrial areas that could be done in commercial areas, and vice versa. The committee was of the view that land housing minor trades and group centres was being used for a number of industrial purposes. Minor trades and group centres in Woden and Belconnen were not taken into consideration when this industrial land-use policy was created.

Many of those trades are industrial trades, such as panel beating, car repairing and spray painting. The committee said to PALM at the time, "Go away and think about not just designated industrial areas but about quasi-industrial areas that house these minor trades."It simply boils down to the fact that PALM representatives said, "We know what is good for you. We are from PALM. We are here to help you. Do not tell us what we need to do in the future."That is what happens to anyone who deals with the ACT planning authority. Its current ethos is: "If the idea is not ours and the plan does not come from us it does not have a value, it is not authentic and it will not be valued."

One of the government's criticisms of the committee's report was that it strayed outside its narrow brief in relation to draft variation 175. However, committee members thought it was important to do so. I refer to an area of land bounded by the Monaro Highway, Canberra Avenue, Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Lake Burley Griffin and Stuart Circle-the area in Fyshwick on the western side of the Monaro Highway which includes the old DAS fleet site, the current Fyshwick Markets and the service station. That area comprises a vast section of unused railway or industrial land.

The committee was presented with the views of an individual, or the views a group of people, relating to the future use of that block of land. The committee was not keen to endorse that view. However, it realised that the people who had thought about the use to which this area might be put and who had talked to a number of people had come up with a vision for the future of an area in Canberra. At the moment that area, which is ugly, polluted, underutilised and inaccessible to a lot of people, could be put to good use in the future. Any industrial use of that area could impact on the Jerrabomberra Wetlands which have significance under the Ramsar treaty-a matter that we should treat seriously.

Members of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment did not tell PALM to take up the idea with which it had been presented. Rather, we said, "Take this idea, talk to these people and come up with your own master plan for what should be done with this significant piece of land in the future."PALM representatives said to us, "It has nothing to do with you. That area, which is not industrial land, is not covered by the draft variation. It is not our idea but we might think about it in the context of the spatial plan."That was the only recommendation of the committee that was taken up by the government.

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