Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 07 Hansard (Wednesday, 30 June 2004) . . Page.. 3035 ..

Environment Legislation Amendment Act 2004 introduced a regime to govern land clearing in reserves.

I will be undertaking further consultation on this bill in coming weeks, but I look forward to the Assembly debate on this bill in August. With this bill, the Democrats propose a goal of no net loss of vegetation in the territory. The goal is being implemented through new obligations placed on people who wish to clear native vegetation to revegetate another cleared area or rehabilitate a currently degraded area of native vegetation. The goal is that over the longer term the area of native habitat in the ACT will not be reduced as a result of the approved clearing and the ACT will remain the bush capital. I commend this bill to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Quinlan) adjourned to the next sitting.

Sitting suspended from 12.21 to 2.30 pm.

Ministerial arrangements

MR STANHOPE (Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for Environment and Minister for Community Affairs): Mr Speaker, for the information of members I indicate that my colleague Mr Wood, the Minister for Urban Services and the Acting Minister for Health, is on ministerial duty elsewhere today. I am happy to take questions that might otherwise have been directed to Mr Wood in relation to his portfolio and portfolio responsibilities.

Questions without notice

Canberra plan

MR SMYTH: My question is directed to the Chief Minister. I refer to comments by Mr Hargreaves to Business Tuggeranong about the Canberra plan and its impact on employment growth in Tuggeranong as cited in the Southside Chronicle of 15 June 2004. Mr Hargreaves said:

I’m not going to say that the Canberra plan is doing wonderful things for Tuggeranong, because it doesn’t.

Is Mr Hargreaves right in saying the Canberra plan has failed Tuggeranong?

MR STANHOPE: I thank Mr Smyth for the question. It gives me an opportunity to inform members here of the significance of the Canberra plan to all Canberrans, including, of course, the residents of Tuggeranong.

Mr Hargreaves did make the comments about the Canberra plan that the media has suggested. Mr Hargreaves is, as we all know, a vigorous and certainly active—perhaps the most active—representative of the people of Tuggeranong in the Assembly. I do not think anybody would gainsay that, including of course other members for Brindabella in the Assembly. They would understand that it is recognised within the community that Mr Hargreaves is the most active, the most interested, the most connected and the most vigorous representative, and the people of Tuggeranong are happy to have him. He is a very active and vigorous advocate of the interests of the people of Tuggeranong.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .