Page 1923 - Week 07 - Thursday, 23 August 2007

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It is important, Mr Speaker. I commend this motion to the Assembly. I suggest that government members consider voting separately from their party in this instance or, if they will not, exact from Mr Barr a commitment to the provision of at least equal, if not improved, recreational facilities in the Woden area—not to mention community, cultural and arts facilities.

Question put:

That Dr Foskey’s motion be agreed to:

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 8

Noes 9

Mrs Burke

Mr Seselja

Mr Barr

Mr Hargreaves

Mrs Dunne

Mr Smyth

Mr Berry

Ms MacDonald

Dr Foskey

Mr Stefaniak

Mr Corbell

Ms Porter

Mr Mulcahy

Ms Gallagher

Mr Stanhope

Mr Pratt

Mr Gentleman

Question so resolved in the negative.

Planning and Environment—Standing Committee

Statement by chair

MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella): Pursuant to standing order 246A, I am delivering a statement in my capacity as chair of the ACT Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Planning and Environment. On 12 June 2007, on behalf of the committee, I wrote to the Australian parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories. I invited our counterpart committee to meet to discuss whether the two committees might hold joint inquiries on some matters that require amendments to both the national capital plan and the territory plan. Mr Seselja supported this letter as well.

Members are well aware of the inefficiencies, costs and political inequities of the current dual planning system, which the planning and environment committee is keen to see addressed. Members of the Assembly may recall that in the planning and environment committee’s report on annual and financial reports 2005-06, the committee recommended that the Assembly resolve to permit joint inquiries. The committee also recommended that the Assembly consider the benefits of joint inquiries by Assembly and counterpart parliamentary committees in other jurisdictions, including the commonwealth, in relation to matters that have both commonwealth and ACT implications. The committee is disappointed to advise the Assembly that the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories has rejected the proposal to conduct joint inquiries on appropriate ACT planning matters, and has declined to meet with the planning and environment committee to discuss the issues.

In a letter dated 21 June 2007, the committee chair, Senator Ross Lightfoot, advised that the proposal had been considered with interest but rejected following advice.

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