Page 3050 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 23 August 2005
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That process is already under way. I am grateful for the leadership of Mr Savery as the chief planning executive in driving that. He has identified a whole range of measures that can be adopted now to improve the administration of the planning and leasehold system and those are being implemented right now in conjunction with and parallel to the work they are undertaking in relation to system reform.
Youth detention centre
MS MacDONALD: My question is to Ms Gallagher in her capacity as Minister for Children, Youth and Family Support. On 3 August, the minister announced that consultation would begin into the four possible sites identified for the ACT’s new $40 million youth detention centre. Can the minister inform the Assembly of how this consultation is proceeding?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Ms MacDonald for her question. The four sites—in Gungahlin near Mitchell, the Gungahlin suburb of Kenny, Symonston and Fyshwick—were identified last month for further detailed investigations. These sites best met the selection criteria outlined in the site selection report including the required minimum area of 10 hectares. The new facility will replace the current Quamby Youth Centre at Symonston. The new centre will meet the requirements of the ACT Human Rights Act and will maximise the opportunity to rehabilitate children and young people in detention. The release of the site selection report earlier this month was the first step in planning for the new youth detention centre. The second step involves broad community consultation on the four short-listed sites in the form of meetings and requests for written submissions from the community. At the same time, more detailed investigations on the sites will be carried out.
To date, the government has already received feedback on the sites. We have had 271 hits on the consultation web site and we have had initial supportive comments made from the Gungahlin Community Council about the two sites in Mitchell and Kenny. The ACT government will commence community information sessions on the sites identified this week. Four separate community information sessions will seek public comment on the proposed sites. Broad community consultations on those sites will continue until 14 September. These discussions will assist the government to select a preferred site along with consideration of operational requirements, accommodation needs and community feedback.
Officers from the Office for Children, Youth and Family Support will attend the community information sessions so that residents and other interested parties can have their say on the proposed sites. Each session will include a visual display of all four sites. The meetings are to be held on Thursday, 25 August from 5.15 to 7.30 pm at the Ngunnawal Neighbourhood Centre; Saturday, 27 August from 10 am to 12 noon at the Canberra Raiders Sports Club in Gungahlin; Thursday, 1 September from 5.15 to 7.30 pm at Southside Community Services in Narrabundah; and Saturday, 3 September from 10 am to 12 noon at Southside Community Services in Narrabundah. People who cannot make the information sessions can provide comments on the proposed sites via post, email or the feedback form on the department’s web site.
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