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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 03 Hansard (Thursday, 11 March 2004) . . Page.. 1055 ..

“(1) the proposal for aged care facilities on part of Section 99 Holt, and disused holes 19 to 27 of the Belconnen Golf Course;

(2) the proposal for aged care facilities on Section 87 Belconnen, with particular reference to any impact on the social and environmental impact upon Belconnen Lakeshore; and

(3) refer to the demand for aged care accommodation in the Belconnen region and any other relevant sites.”.

MR CORBELL (Minister for Health and Minister for Planning) (11.45): The government will not be supporting this amendment. I feel the Assembly is trying to have it both ways. I really feel that the Assembly is trying to say, “You’re too slow at providing land for aged care accommodation; you do not listen to requests to provide aged care accommodation.” But when the government has identified a site and the Territory Plan already permits aged care accommodation, you want us to revisit that as well. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot say, “The government should be changing the land over here to allow aged care accommodation, but this site over here which already—

Ms Dundas: You’re prejudging the outcome Simon.

MR CORBELL: Members are quite clearly saying they have some concerns about the proposal at Lake Ginninderra, otherwise Ms Dundas would not be moving the motion. Why else would it be even up for consideration unless there were some concerns that members feel warrant investigation? It is an inconsistent and illogical position to say, “The government should be changing the territory land use policy here to permit aged care accommodation at Holt, but where the Territory Plan already permits aged care accommodation, no, we should go and revisit that as well.” That is what this amendment says.

I am deeply concerned that, if Ms Dundas’s amendment is passed this morning, the government will not be able to release that site or will run into trouble in the Assembly in terms of releasing that site because I will get told, “Oh, that’s being considered by the planning and environment committee; don’t you dare release that site before we report it.”

This site is due to be released later this year. It has been on the land release program for three or four years. It has been on the Territory Plan for more than 10 years as a community facility land use site. It has been identified since the NCDC did the original planning for Lake Ginninderra as a community facility site. It has been there. It has been accepted as part of provision of community facility land in the Belconnen Town Centre area for decades and decades. Ms Dundas is now proposing that the Assembly agree that this site also be reconsidered. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot say to the government, “You’re bad because you should have approved Mr O’Keefe’s proposal at Holt” but “You’re bad because the site that’s gone through the planning process has now perhaps got some question marks over it as well.” You’re either serious about providing land for aged persons’ accommodation, or you are not.

We have a planning process that has been agreed and approved. The previous government did the Belconnen Town Centre master plan, which identified this site for

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