Page 2775 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 16 August 2017
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How many one-offs are too many? How many times will we see these one-off deals, this lack of the due process, the lack of accountability, the lack of appropriate paperwork and the lack of methodology into how final valuations and purchase prices are calculated? One more example I will touch on was the recent one-off deal for an inner south Mr Fluffy home owner who was asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement. On the other hand, a Mr Fluffy home owner in Turner—with similar circumstances of owning both properties on a dual occupancy block—was denied the right to buy back the block.
When one-off deals are made, when special arrangements are made, it is hard for normal people to understand what the rules are. We have rules and processes for a reason. Even in this place we run to a set of rules that should be respected at all times. So it is very difficult to understand the government’s reasoning behind many of these decisions. They like to keep us in the dark as to how these decisions are made. We would like to see, and the people of Canberra want to see, open, fair and accountable practices from the government. Consistency is important. There is a place for special arrangements to be made but, once again, the reasoning behind those decisions must be open and transparent and accountable and not, as we have heard from the Auditor-General’s report, lacking in rigour and unable to be explained.
Madam Acting Speaker, it is surely not too much to ask for fair, open and transparent consultation with the whole community and for consistency in the interpretation and application of legislation and guidelines and principles. I call on the government to govern with fairness, openness and transparency. I look forward to further examples being provided by my colleagues in other areas of government and not just the planning area which I have spoken about. This is a malaise that goes across government in the way that they apply legislation, principles and rules.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Tourism and Major Events) (12.15): I thank Ms Lawder for ensuring that the contrast between the government’s clear and positive agenda for our city and the grating negativity of those opposite has never been clearer.
At the recent election, Canberrans decisively re-elected the government because of our progressive values and our clear plan for the city. We put forward a plan to make our schools, hospitals and transport system even better, and in the most recent budget we have commenced the delivery of that plan. Our commitment to a better Canberra means delivering policies that reflect our community’s progressive values. We are standing up for women and delivering policies that put women’s health and the welfare of domestic and family violence survivors first. We are campaigning to recognise marriage equality and equal rights for our LGBTIQ Canberrans, and we will work hand in hand with our community to make sure that the yes vote in the ACT is the highest in Australia. We certainly will not be needing to apologise via social media for the hurt our own party causes our LGBTIQ friends and loved ones.
The ACT government went to the last election with a positive plan to renew schools, hospitals, transport infrastructure and our neighbourhood. The budget that we are
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