Page 5940 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 8 December 2010
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MS BURCH: I have made the comment that I believe that at this point in time an inquiry under the Inquiries Act is just a tad too far. I have also outlined yesterday a process that I will undertake and go through to effect some change and review our policies and practices. I have also articulated here my welcoming of an independent inquiry.
MRS DUNNE: A supplementary question, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mrs Dunne.
MRS DUNNE: Minister, why are you afraid of commissioning a board of inquiry under the Inquiries Act in the absence of a death at Bimberi?
MS BURCH: I just do not think that is the appropriate way to go.
Planning—master plans
MS LE COUTEUR: My question is to the Minister for Planning and concerns the government’s master planning processes and progress in determining community
priorities. Minister, noting the motion passed in the Assembly on 25 August this year, what progress has been made in developing a priority list of areas in Canberra that need master planning and has the community been involved in determining this priority list?
Opposition members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order! I call Minister Barr.
MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank Ms Le Couteur for the question. Obviously—
Opposition members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order! One moment, Mr Barr. Thank you, members. I have already made a request that there be no more interjecting and I will start warning members shortly.
MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Obviously, there is a great deal of interest in the Assembly in the master planning process and there does appear to be somewhat of a political auction going on about who might be the first to touch a particular area and say, “It was me, it was me!” and get themselves on the front page of the Chronicle.
It is not a particularly edifying process, Mr Speaker, and it does not do the Assembly a service if every time someone brings forward a motion demanding a master plan there is no account taken of the available resources within the ACT Planning and Land Authority to undertake that work or that time frames are set that are completely unrealistic in terms of the delivery of a process.
If members—and I acknowledge Ms Le Couteur’s interest in this—are interested in sound and robust master planning processes that are able to engage with stakeholders,
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