Page 4993 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 26 October 2011
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planning issues—we also recognise there is a need for more aged-care facilities in Canberra. My one remaining parent is in an aged-care facility, and I am very well aware of the sometimes desperate need for these in Canberra. We need to look very carefully at anything we do which will delay the production of good aged-care facilities in the ACT. Yes, there is a need for good community consultation and a need for good planning, I am not saying anything against that. But there is also a need for good aged-care facilities in Canberra. In suggesting the Assembly might postpone the development of aged-care facilities for what would be many years, we have to consider whether that is in the best interests of Canberra.
The Greens support Mr Barr’s amendment; it is all factual, really. It is important for people in Calwell to realise that the site was already a community facility site. It has not come out of the blue that this site will be used for aged care. Community facility sites often become aged care. It has been the subject of site and traffic impact assessments and found to be suitable.
I will now move on to Ms Bresnan’s amendment. The first thing I will talk about is paragraph (1)(g), a park and ride in Calwell. I thought it was particularly bizarre that the Leader of the Opposition said that the Greens and Ms Bresnan had not, in fact, done anything to aid the people of Canberra while they have been in the Assembly. It is particularly bizarre in the context of this motion, where Ms Bresnan’s first point is about park and ride in Calwell. As the Leader of the Opposition should be aware, the Greens put in a budget bid in the last budget for a park and ride in Calwell, and this fortunately was supported. I was very pleased to hear Mr Corbell talking about the government looking at expanding that even further.
The Greens, and Ms Bresnan in particular, also put in a budget bid for expansion of express bus services to Calwell. Unfortunately we have not been successful in that as yet, but we will continue working for better transport for people in Canberra and better services for the people of Brindabella, the people of Tuggeranong, and, in particular, the people of Calwell. I totally reject the statements that the Leader of the Opposition made about the Greens in general and Ms Bresnan in particular. She is a very hard working local member, and Ms Bresnan’s amendment to this motion is testimony to her hard work as a local member.
Moving on to other issues, Ms Bresnan’s amendment notes that there are some potential issues with this site in terms of paths and roads. This issue needs to be dealt with, but it is not an issue which means it should be put on hold for a number of years before anything happens. The amendment also notes that the government’s new draft planning strategy addresses the need for additional master plans. That is on page 38, and I might just read it out to everyone because it says:
Extending the program of master plans. This will establish a process for informing and guiding change in group and local centres and the adjacent precincts. It is critical that more detailed planning processes identify the intended urban character, land uses, housing forms and public amenity to be achieved.
As I have said before, I support the intent of the draft planning strategy, but I would like to make a few comments. Mr Corbell said that comments on the draft planning
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