Page 2897 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 June 2010
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The Vikings club have put forward a proposal in relation to the Murrumbidgee and Capital golf clubs, effectively for the Vikings club to assume a partnership with the Murrumbidgee club to ensure its ongoing viability. They have put forward a proposal and they are going to be consulting with the community—they may in fact have already begun—in relation to that site in Narrabundah.
Equally, Federal have a proposal for a small proportion of their site to be deconcessionalised and then potentially turned into some form of residential accommodation. Those issues are before government. We are considering those. Clearly, though, there are too many golf courses in Canberra. They are not sustainable. Government will need to respond and work with the various operators to ensure that we do have a viable number of golf courses into the future so that they are sustainable, both financially and environmentally. It is important that we do have viable golf courses in the city, and it would be very disappointing, as a result of inaction or a failure to grapple with the difficult policy challenges that this presents, for a number of golf courses to fall over and for there to be no longer viable operations on a number of those sites. That is the risk we face if we do nothing.
So it is clear that we will have to respond, and there are trade-offs. Undoubtedly, there are trade-offs, and we will have to balance competing interests and competing outcomes. But there is a possibility that through some innovative thinking and some strategic partnerships we will be able to see a viable number of golf courses into the future and the possibility, to address some of our other concerns around urban infill, for new housing, new affordable housing options and new sustainable housing options as part of this process. The government clearly is considering two matters at this point, and the community are clearly considering two matters in relation to south-side golf courses.
Mr Doszpot: A supplementary, Mr Speaker?
MR SPEAKER: Ms Le Couteur still has a supplementary.
MS LE COUTEUR: Is it appropriate to deconcessionalise land on golf courses that has been provided for sporting purposes?
MR BARR: That is a very interesting question of principle. The government’s view is that, on a case-by-case basis, you can assess that. Leases are deconcessionalised from time to time. There is a formal process within the Planning and Development Act for that to occur and it is a decision that is not taken lightly. But it has certainly occurred in the past and will, no doubt, in the future. The territory plan is not set in stone. It is meant to be a movable and changeable plan that does adapt to circumstances and changing circumstances.
I think, to have an in-principle position that no lease can ever be deconcessionalised is not right and we would not have written into the Planning and Development Act and into the territory plan the provision to deconcessionalise. We would not have given ourselves the flexibility to vary the territory plan if we did not believe from time to time there would be circumstances where you would consider it.
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