Page 2541 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 23 August 2006
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
I want to be absolutely clear about this. This will not be tolerated. This is not a piece of land that happens to be surplus land at the back of a residential development. This is not a bit of parkland in the suburbs. This is a very sensitive nature reserve. Let me say publicly that it is to the Chief Minister’s credit that he recognised this and declared it as a nature reserve and has in fact ensured that we had $350,000 put aside in this budget to construct that fence.
On that issue, I had a very, very brief conversation with Trish Harrup from the conservation council. I wish to have further conversations with them around how we as a community can look after Mulligans Flat. I think this is a community thing. It is a jewel in our community and we need to look after it. It needs to be done as a partnership between government and the community, the people who live adjacent to it.
It was the very presence of that nature reserve that prompted the government to introduce the cat containment legislation around those two suburbs that border the nature reserve. I know that the government is 100 per cent behind the Chief Minister’s dedication to preserving it. I appreciate Dr Foskey’s actually raising the issue again in the chamber, and I congratulate her on it.
Planning—EpiCentre lease
MR SESELJA: My question is to the Minister for Planning and relates to the EpiCentre sale. ING wrote to ACTPLA on 23 September 2005 seeking clarification as to the permitted land use for the EpiCentre site. You said yesterday that the LDA responded on 6 October 2005, after this letter was referred to the LDA by ACTPLA. The draft reply states that it would be up to ING to make its own assessment as to the permitted land use. On 4 October, ACTPLA held a meeting with Austexx in which the following minute was taken:
Each shop can be a maximum of 3,000m2. There can be a number of shops on site and each shop can be maximum 3,000m2.
Why was Austexx given an indication by ACTPLA as to the permitted land use on 4 October while ING was apparently told two days later to work it out for themselves?
MR CORBELL: ING were not told to work it out for themselves. It was remiss of me to not table the letter I indicated I would table yesterday. I apologise for that oversight. I now have that letter. I table it.
Ainslie Village—food service
MRS BURKE: My question is to the Chief Minister. Is it financially and socially responsible to cut vital funding, both in the short term and in the long term, to a food service for vulnerable residents of Ainslie Village who heavily rely on such a service? As Chief Minister, will you override the decision taken by the Minister for Disability and Community Services to close down the food service at Ainslie Village?
MR STANHOPE: It is certainly a difficult issue for the government and, indeed, for Centacare and the residents of Ainslie Village. As members would be aware,
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .