Page 3121 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 22 August 2017
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Too often we see policy on the run like this. The government have had to backtrack on this change already, making conditional arrangements for the next six months and a review in 18 months. Had they done their job from the start, they would not have had to backtrack. Good policy happens when the government consults. We have said this over and over.
Another example, on a much smaller scale, is what I like to call fishing-gate: an item in the budget that I think the government hoped no one would ever notice. It was an announcement of the closure of the southern gate entrance to Googong Dam. After the announcement in the budget, which the government hoped no one would notice, they realised that such a change might affect the people of Canberra after all, and at the beginning of the month they backtracked once again. It was in the Queanbeyan Age of 3 August that the government had backed down on this particular issue.
This attempt at closure of one of the gates again showed a government that does not consult and does not take the time to understand how the changes it makes to the budget might not seem like much but will actually have an impact on people’s lives. These examples prove that the government does not care and is out of touch with the average person.
There are a few specific recommendations from the estimates report that I am very keen for the government to take careful note of. For example, recommendation 89 is that the ACT government take steps to ensure that closed development applications are accessible online. In that way, people can see what is happening on their streets. A lot of people do not look at the development signs. They want to know what is going on once construction starts. Making these closed DAs available online after work has started, after the approval has been granted, gives people the opportunity to be informed at any stage. I think it was a good suggestion of one of my colleagues. I am afraid I do not recall who, but it was a good suggestion.
Mr Parton: Probably me.
MS LAWDER: I doubt that very much. But it was a good suggestion, and I am keen to see it implemented.
Recommendation 94 is that the ACT government continue to keep the Dickson community informed on the progress of consultation and planning for section 72, Dickson. I feel this is very important in the light of other controversial changes the government snuck through as a technical amendment to allow social housing on CFZ land. It is understandable that Dickson residents are concerned about how little the government may consult and communicate with them on the use of this community land.
Recommendations 91, 92, and 93: the government’s decision to discontinue the indicators around master plans; there are still master plans that have not been finalised: the Woden master plan, at the time of the estimates report and the estimates hearings, and the draft, draft, draft Tharwa Village Plan. There are a few too many
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