Page 1654 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 3 June 2014

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Planning and Development (Symonston Mental Health Facility) Amendment Bill 2014

Debate resumed from 15 May 2014, on motion by Mr Corbell:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

Motion (by Mr Coe) proposed:

That the debate be adjourned.

Question put.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 7

Noes 8

Mr Coe

Mrs Jones

Ms Berry

Ms Gallagher

Mr Doszpot

Ms Lawder

Dr Bourke

Mr Gentleman

Mrs Dunne

Mr Wall

Ms Burch

Ms Porter

Mr Hanson

Mr Corbell

Mr Rattenbury

Question so resolved in the negative.

MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: The question is that this bill be agreed to in principle. I call Mr Coe.

MR COE (Ginninderra) (11.15): Madam Deputy Speaker, the Planning and Development (Symonston Mental Health Facility) Amendment Bill 2014 is a piece of project-specific legislation which amends the Planning and Development Act 2007. The opposition will not be supporting this legislation. It is clearly an attempt to create a precedent for fast-tracked planning, this time under the cover of mental health. The public justification for this bill is that it is designed to speed up construction of a mental health facility in Symonston.

The bill provides amendments to the usual processes relating to territory plan variations, as well as the review rights which would ordinarily apply to a project. Once again, the government has poorly consulted on this legislation. It seems that this government and this minister in particular have failed to learn the lessons of the project facilitation bill, and Mr Rattenbury continues to blindly back this minister. Despite it being good policy to give the community an opportunity to comment on this bill, politically it would make sense for Mr Rattenbury to distance himself from Minister Corbell’s shambolic management of this planning issue.

This bill requires the Planning and Land Authority to prepare a draft variation to the territory plan in relation to the Symonston mental health facility. The National Capital Authority must be consulted about the draft special variation. Public consultation must take place for at least 15 working days, which is half the usual requirement of 30

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