Page 2486 - Week 08 - Thursday, 30 August 2007
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homeowners grant and a range of other policies that have been in place on that side. All that has done is brought forward people’s home purchasing decisions and created this surge in demand. There was no way that the supply side was going to be able to respond. That it is not just occurring in the ACT; it is occurring across the country.
What we need are supply-side solutions. We have them, and we have them across the range of housing products—be that in public and community housing, in compact blocks and in new land releases both in greenfields areas and in urban infill. The government has in place a comprehensive policy that is unashamedly based on market-based solutions because, in the end, it is a market. Governments can do a lot of pulling of policy levers. In the ACT we are fortunate that we have a number of policy levers at our disposal.
Rest assured that we are actively engaging in this strategy. The LDA and ACTPLA are working incredibly hard to deliver additional blocks to market. My commitment, through the statement of planning intent, is for five years of planning-ready land to be on the shelf. My commitment, also through that statement of planning intent, is for additional services in Gungahlin. I am very pleased, through my other portfolios, that two new schools are being built and that both neighbourhood and district playing fields are going ahead.
I am pleased Mr Smyth is back in the chamber because I have an opportunity to address the point that he raised about sports ovals. It is certainly the government’s intention to ensure that the total number of hectares available now for sporting facilities will be restored after any stage 4 water restrictions. So let me put that one to bed tonight. However, just looking at the demographic demand in the city I think there will be a greater need for additional sporting facilities in Gungahlin and we will move ahead to deliver those additional facilities. There is money in this year’s budget for Harrison.
Mr Smyth: So you will shut down some ovals and shift them?
MR BARR: Yes. It is worth noting that we need to look at the quality of facilities.
Mr Smyth: Okay, so the inner suburbs are going to lose their ovals?
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MR BARR: But my commitment is that the total availability of sportsgrounds will not decrease as a result of stage 4 restrictions. If we are forced into stage 4 restrictions and we lose some more ovals, we will restore them if we move out of those restrictions. I put that caveat on it. If we stay in stage 4 for the rest of our time in government there will not be anything that we can do about it. However, in the longer term I think it is important that we are able to maintain and, hopefully, increase, because there will be a requirement for new sporting facilities in Gungahlin and also in Molonglo. So my commitment on that is clear. There will be a maintenance of the total number of hectares available for sporting facilities.
Mr Smyth: But not in the existing locations.
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