Page 1784 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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I am also particularly concerned about the problems with the leasehold system. I think that the problems that have been highlighted by Mr Seselja and the property council go to the very heart of the problems that I have with this bill, and that is a failure to understand the difference between development proposals, development rights and lease rights. I am reminded of an anecdote from the whole legislation development process early in the piece, and the previous minister might be able to tell me if this is untrue, but it has been told by a number of people.
Early in the piece there were discussions about how the taskforce in ACTPLA were going with the development of the new planning and development legislation and one of the officials, who seems to have been new to the territory, was reported to have told a group of people, “Well, we are going pretty well and if we can do away with the leasehold system, it will be a really good piece of legislation.” I think that the problems brought to the attention of the minister by the property council and Mr Seselja are indicative of an attempt to do away with the leasehold system—a very ham-fisted one, a potentially disastrous one and one that must be addressed.
But most importantly, and I have to reinforce what Mr Seselja has to say, this is going to be a worthless document if we do not get the territory plan right. The territory plan is, in a sense, the important missing piece. I encourage the government to work with the community and with the opposition to ensure that when the territory plan is finalised it is done in a way that creates a coherent pathway that allows the appropriate implementation of this legislation. In short, to reinforce what Mr Seselja says, we have come a long way, but I fear that we still have a very long way to go.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Minister for Industrial Relations) (6.19): As members have acknowledged, this legislation represents the most significant reform of planning legislation in the territory since self-government. It is the culmination of over two years of hard work by the government and the ACT Planning and Land Authority, with active participation from all sectors of the ACT community.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the representatives from community councils, community organisations, industry groups, professional associations, the conservation council, the ACT Council of Social Service and the planning and development forum for their ongoing contributions to the development of the legislation. Having heard Mrs Dunne’s speech, I also need to congratulate Mr Seselja and his office for working with Mrs Dunne through this process.
I would also like to thank the many individuals who have contributed their knowledge and expertise through the expert reference group or by providing advice on particular parts of the reform project, and I acknowledge the contributions of the former planning and land council, as well as the ongoing assistance of ACT commonwealth agencies. Finally I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution of my colleague, Mr Corbell, in initiating and promoting these planning reforms, which will be implemented through this package of legislation and the new territory plan.
The main objectives of the planning reform project are well known, and they are to create a planning system that is simpler, faster and more effective. The package of
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