Page 1930 - Week 07 - Thursday, 23 August 2007
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MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Minister for Industrial Relations) (12.06): I understand the point that Dr Foskey is making. As Minister for Planning, one of the first things I did was issue a statement of planning intent. However, that is a discretionary matter for the minister of the day. I would anticipate that most ministers would want to issue such a statement and make it publicly available. I think the requirements in the act mirror existing provisions, as Dr Foskey has outlined. They are appropriate at this time.
I have, of course, placed my statement of planning intent on the ACT Planning and Land Authority’s website. I do not have my own stand-alone website at this time. Ministers have a little page off one of the ACT government’s sites, but, in the future, should the Minister for Planning get his or her own website, I am sure any future minister would make these statements publicly available in that form. The requirements proposed in clause 15 are adequate at this time.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo) (12.08): We do not have any problem with clause 15 as it is. I take the minister’s point about some discretion, and I cannot see why a minister would not state the planning intent the way this has been set up. So I cannot really envisage that that is going to be a problem. If the Greens have an issue with the wording, a simple amendment would have been worth debating. I do not see any reason to oppose clause 15.
Clause 15 agreed to.
Clauses 16 to 27, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Clause 28.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (12.09): My objection here is related, again, to the transparency of documents. The public register and associated documents should be available for public inspection. It seems to me that, again, this is a matter where we should use our electronic technology. Also, we should make sure that this register is searchable. So, again, while this may be the intention of the minister and of the authority, it seems reasonable that these things are put on the website. We know, for instance, that being available for public inspection is not the same as the public being able to inspect them.
The loss of shopfronts, for instance, has made it very difficult for people to interact with officials. Not everybody is able to make it during nine to five to the various offices where these things, I assume, are going to be available. Sometimes they are in libraries, but this section of the act does not spell it out. So, again, it is just that more detail is required, more consideration of people’s circumstances, and more evidence that the government wants to facilitate the ability of people to inspect the public register and all those associated documents.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Minister for Industrial Relations) (12.11): I know that ACTPLA is a very enthusiastic embracer of new technology, and it has
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