Page 5289 - Week 12 - Thursday, 28 October 2010
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MR BARR: The lease compliance area within the Planning and Land Authority obviously has responsibility in those areas. Yes, the ACT government seeks to uphold both the territory plan and the relevant laws that apply to the use of land.
MS BRESNAN: A supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Bresnan.
MS BRESNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Minister, what is the government doing to ensure that there are still community-based recreational and sporting facilities in town centres which are easily accessible by public transport, especially given the development pressure in these town centres?
MR BARR: I think overall there will be a reduction in the number of facilities located within those town centre precincts. That is simply because, over time, there will be demand for other uses for that land. However, that does not mean that, with those sport and recreation facilities within the regions and within those broader town centres—and by that I mean, for example, in Woden more broadly than just within the town centre—we cannot see an enhancement of facilities in those areas.
We have to recognise that there will be pressures on land within the commercial precincts of the city and that over time those pressures will mean that alternative uses for some land that is currently zoned for sport and recreation purposes will be of a higher order, and a higher economic order for the city. That does not mean, though, that we need to sacrifice the totality of sport and recreation facilities. It just means that new locations need to be found for the provision of those facilities and those should ideally be located in areas that are accessible by public transport.
Education—teachers
MR DOSZPOT: My question is to the Minister for Education and Training. Minister, the Australian Education Union have stated that the initial consultation process for the dividend cuts approved by you makes a mockery of the enterprise agreement the government has with the union and in effect will lead to increased workloads for teachers. Equally, your proposal to revamp teacher pay and promotion has been characterised as offensive. Minister, how will you be celebrating World Teachers Day tomorrow?
MR BARR: I will be attending a number of schools tomorrow. I am looking forward to that. I will be at a building the education revolution ceremony to acknowledge some new facilities that have been provided by the federal government. In partnership with the territory government, we are seeing record levels of investment in ACT schools.
From time to time there will be disagreements, amazingly, between union officials and the government over important matters of education reform. Whilst I acknowledge that the AEU are not happy with some elements of the government’s reform agenda, that does not surprise me because it does go to challenge some long-held ideological views within the leadership of that union.
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