Page 3173 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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I will leave it there. There are a number of other issues. We do want to see some reforms in the way ACTPLA conducts its business. I think there have been some improvements, and I have acknowledged those in the past. I will acknowledge when I see positive changes within ACTPLA. I think there is a better legislative framework now than there was a few years ago, though it has some way to go. That would make it easier for ACTPLA to get on with its business.
But I do believe that there are some structural issues. They are not just confined to the fact that ACTPLA is operating under a separate minister from the Land and Development Agency, although that is important. I think there are some other structural changes that could be made to ACTPLA that would, I believe, make it more responsive and make the business of building houses in the ACT somewhat more streamlined, without losing the kinds of safeguards that we want to see.
So we believe there are some reforms to come. There are some more reforms needed, some significant reforms needed. I would reiterate that we want to see the government actually fix the dichotomy and the split that is currently occurring between land release and planning. We do not believe it is working. Industry, I do not think, believe it is working. The fact that the government has had to go through a couple of different models with some extra tweaks just in the last few months suggests that it acknowledges that it is not working as well as it should be.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Planning, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Minister for Gaming and Racing) (9:05): I thank members for their contributions. To put this planning budget in context—we are looking at the investments in 2010-11—I would like to restate the government’s priorities in the planning portfolio. They are to support Canberra’s economic growth; prepare for a sustainable future; plan for a compact, more affordable city; plan for better neighbourhoods; continue to listen to the community; and keep politics out of planning.
Although I will not speak on all of these priorities tonight, I would like to elaborate on two in particular, and the first is climate change. As I have said before, climate change changes everything, and the implications of climate change planning in our city are enormous. Climate change means that Canberra must change and our ideas for planning must respond to this. The government is planning for climate change. We are driving that change to planning policy through the sustainable futures program in support of the government’s climate change strategy, weathering the change.
As Ms Le Couteur has referred to, in the last two weeks I have released two draft variations to the territory plan—301 and 303—which seek to further improve solar orientation and solar access. We are presently seeking feedback from the community and from industry on these draft variations. They will strengthen the rules around passive solar orientation for stand-alone blocks in new subdivisions. We will also be working with the community and industry to implement carbon targets for entire estates over the coming decade. We intend to implement more comprehensive measures to increase residential density in and around town and group centres and along transport corridors.
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