Page 723 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 17 March 2015
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MR BARR: Madam Speaker, this in fact relates to a matter in my portfolio, as it is the Land Development Agency—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Barr, the Chief Minister.
MR BARR: The Minister for Economic Development in this instance. For the benefit of Mr Doszpot, these matters in relation to land and the various decisions that have flowed in relation to the loss of the Services Club site from that fire a few years ago are the responsibility of—
Mr Smyth: You have not lost the site; you have lost the club.
MR BARR: Indeed, sorry, the club. They are my responsibility in the Land Development Agency portfolio. We have been working with a range of stakeholders in order to provide a new location and a new facility for the Services Club, increased childcare provision within the inner south and enhanced sporting facilities for the Telopea Park School. And that has involved, in order to make all of this work, a series of land swaps. Consultation involved the LDA meeting with a range of stakeholders—the Services Club, Manuka occasional care and the education department, who also then held consultations with affected stakeholders, including the Telopea Park School—in relation to the entirety of that package of change that would facilitate a new site and construction, in partnership with Defence Housing Australia, for the Services Club, a new location and expanded childcare facilities, with Manuka occasional care being given the first right to take up that opportunity, and an $800,000 boost in terms of new sporting facilities for the Telopea school.
As members would be aware, land in this area is scarce. So a decision was taken by the government, following a round of consultation, to adopt the position that we have. That is that the Manuka occasional care site would become available for the Services Club, in partnership with Defence Housing Australia, to build a new facility; Manuka occasional care would be supported into a new, expanded childcare facility on the site of those tennis courts adjacent to Montgomery Oval, between Manuka Oval and the Telopea Park School; and new sporting facilities would be built for the Telopea school.
I recognise not everyone is in favour of this outcome. Nonetheless, it is a way forward for each of the organisations. The government are committed to ensuring there is a new site for the Services Club and that, after that tragedy where that facility was burned down, there is a way forward for that group—and we believe there is now. We will work closely with Manuka occasional care and, indeed, with the Telopea Park School to see new facilities built for both of those stakeholders to ensure that we get better childcare facilities and increased childcare facilities, that we get better sporting facilities for the Telopea school and that we get a home for the Services Club.
I think that is a good outcome. It is not to everyone’s satisfaction 100 per cent, but rarely do you get an outcome where everyone is 100 per cent satisfied. In my view, after nearly four years of work to line all of this up, it is a positive net outcome for the community.
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