Page 1883 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2016
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Attempts by the residents group to engage with Mr Rattenbury’s and Mr Gentleman’s offices to discuss that have been met with a resounding silence, and it comes as no surprise that the technical amendment that Mr Rattenbury promised would be available for public consultation around Anzac Day has still not been released for comment.
The consultation process for this change to the territory plan has been going for nearly two years and after each round of consultation local residents tell me that, with perhaps some minor gains, there have been more significant losses, and that their concerns have still not been addressed.
Residents rightly want to know why the government refuses to put a cap on the number of dwellings. They want to know that their roads will still be safe and not congested with additional traffic. They want to know that the school will not suffer overcrowding or need to be upgraded at taxpayers’ expense due to the increased capacity potential of the area for the school. They also want to be assured that sufficient parking will be provided so that they do not all have to walk to the Manuka shops or commence bicycle hill training.
Variation 334 will lead to a deterioration of our city’s sustainability because it is an inappropriate location for high density living. RZ5, the highest residential zoning possible, was designed for close proximity to town centres and major thoroughfares, and Red Hill meets neither of these characteristics. What is more alarming is that this variation sets a precedent for the highest residential zonings to be located anywhere in the ACT without regard for sustainability.
It is clear that the government has not thought through the consequences of this variation. I would urge the government, including Minister Rattenbury, to acknowledge the views of residents and support an inquiry by the Standing Committee on Planning, Environment and Territory and Municipal Services. I commend this petition to the Assembly.
Reconciliation Day
Ministerial statement
DR BOURKE (Ginninderra—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Children and Young People, Minister for Disability, Minister for Small Business and the Arts and Minister for Veterans and Seniors) (10.10): Members would be aware of my thoughts regarding replacing the Queen’s Birthday public holiday as outlined in the article published in the Guardian on 18 January this year.
Essentially, I argued that the Queen’s Birthday public holiday is losing some significance and should be replaced to commemorate something of more contemporary significance. In this regard I suggest the public holiday could be replaced with a day on which the ACT community could celebrate and support the journey of reconciliation.
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