Page 4337 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 13 October 2009
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The recommendations are quite specifically focused in that regard—it is not about picking winners but about ensuring that we do create a retail grocery sector that serves Canberrans better than we the government believe it is currently served. The new policy will lead to better planning outcomes and a much needed revitalisation of some group and local centres. All of that can only be good news for Canberrans.
I must say we in Belconnen have recently seen, particularly through the refurbishment of Jamieson, just how services for the residents of that particular region have been enhanced enormously. This has been a result of the capacity to revamp with the entry into Jamieson of Aldi. The refurbishment and enhancement of that particular group shopping centre has followed work that was pursued most particularly by Mr Corbell, as Minister for Planning, and a record of significant achievement by Mr Corbell following on seven years of complete inactivity in this area by the Liberal Party in government.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Le Couteur, a supplementary?
MS LE COUTEUR: Thank you. How will you ensure accessibility of supermarkets, particularly for disabled and otherwise disadvantaged consumers?
MR STANHOPE: I thank Ms Le Couteur for the question. Ms Le Couteur, the government has indicated that we will accept all 15 of the recommendations in the Martin review. We do accept that there are a range of critical decisions that need to be made in relation to the process going forward and in relation to the implementation of those particular decisions. We have established a working group. It is a working group that will cover all relevant agencies across government.
The sorts of issues you raise are around access and enhancement, not just of competition but enhancement in relation to access—not just in terms of physical access but access by consumers to diversity and choice within group centres most particularly. Under current retail hierarchy planning regimes, which have been in place, I think, since self-government, we have restricted access. We have essentially inhibited the competitive tension that comes from the possibility of more than a single supermarket in group centres.
I think one of the misunderstood aspects of the review is the potential for enhanced competition across, most particularly, group centres, with the capacity, through change to the retail hierarchy and some of our planning restrictions—that there will be greater competition and competition will drive not just that diversity of product and a response through price but, hopefully, a real commitment to enhanced access, for instance, physical access in the context that you raise it around capacity for all to better access supermarkets.
To the extent that there is that opportunity now for a reinvigoration of reinvestment, we can ensure that those arrangements in place in relation to disability access are fully implemented and fully pursued by the government. I would be more than interested, Ms Le Couteur, in hearing your views around what more we might do in relation to the issues around disability access.
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