Page 1546 - Week 05 - Thursday, 15 May 2014
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power to issue an immediate suspension notice to drivers who refuse a screening test will ensure that those drivers are not advantaged over drivers who undertake and fail a test and are issued with a notice by the police officer. I commend this bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Hanson) adjourned to the next sitting.
Planning and Development (Symonston Mental Health Facility) Amendment Bill 2014
Mr Corbell, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement.
Title read by Clerk.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (10.28): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
I am pleased to present this bill to the Assembly today. The government has identified an immediate need for a medium to low-security mental health facility of approximately 25 beds in the ACT. This bill proposes a number of amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2007 and associated regulation to expedite the construction of such a facility in Symonston. The facility will fulfil a critical role in the treatment and rehabilitation of affected community members. High-security and acute long-term mental health care will continue to be provided in New South Wales.
The bill is in response to a motion that was adopted by the Assembly on 7 August last year. The Assembly confirmed its support for a 25-bed medium to low-security secure mental health facility to be constructed on the former Quamby youth detention site at Symonston. The Assembly also agreed for the project to be fast-tracked and to consider project-specific legislation which would expedite the planning process and allow construction of the facility to commence as soon as reasonably practicable.
This bill therefore delivers that project-specific legislation that will allow for the fast-tracking of the construction of the mental health facility. The bill proposes a number of amendments to the Planning and Development Act and associated Planning and Development Regulation.
In summary, the amendments allow for two processes to achieve this outcome: firstly, to permit a swift consideration of an amendment to the territory plan to remove any reasonable doubt that a mental health facility can be constructed on the Symonston site; secondly, to remove the ability for persons to apply to the Supreme Court under the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act, or AD(JR) Act, for review of decisions related to the proposed mental health facility and also to remove third-party ACAT merit review.
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