Page 2872 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013
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streamlined by removing the requirement for any further assessment under the EPBC legislation. It means that future development in Gungahlin—the future suburbs of Kenny, Throsby, Jacka North, Taylor, Kinlyside and Moncrieff—has now received EPBC clearance, subject, of course, to the avoidance, mitigation and offsets conditions that are set out in the approved plan. These suburbs will provide vital capacity for housing supply into the future.
Secondly, the plan results in the establishment of a consolidated offsets package at a landscape scale rather than a series of numerous smaller offsets that could result from individual assessment of proposals. The release of land at Moncrieff is anticipated to be one of the next early releases with approximately 1,800 residential dwelling sites on the indicative land release program to 2016.
In addition, important work will now be able to proceed for the new suburb of Kenny with a revised draft planning and design framework to take into account the reservation of parts of land proposed for development at Kenny as part of a new nature reserve. It is still anticipated that there will be approximately 300 residential sites in Kenny.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe.
MR COE: What impact will the changes in Gungahlin have on the population in the projected light rail corridor?
MR CORBELL: These changes have already been taken into account in the government’s assessments for the light rail corridor.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Porter.
MS PORTER: Minister, is it guaranteed that our nationally significant woodland and temperate grassland communities will be protected under the plan?
MR CORBELL: A total of 781 hectares of land in Gungahlin will now be retained and managed for conservation purposes of those listed ecological communities and threatened species which are protected under national and ACT law. Let me give members some examples. First of all, the biodiversity plan addresses the potential impacts on two EPBC-listed ecological communities—the box gum woodland and natural temperate grasslands communities—and three listed fauna species—the golden sun moth, the superb parrot and the striped legless lizard.
The government has undertaken to create the Kenny nature reserve of 160 hectares from the south-western part of the future suburb of Kenny in recognition of significant box gum woodland and striped legless lizard habitat. This action will avoid a potentially significant impact to these habitats and will retain close to 90 per cent of Kenny’s box gum woodland and the majority of the 300 large trees that exist in that area.
The government will be adding 300 hectares to the Mulligans Flat and Goorooyaroo nature reserves from the Throsby future urban area and Kenny broadacre area. This
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