Page 4285 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 25 October 2017
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broader planning considerations will be considered. The items raised in the panel discussions will inform future planning considerations.
Lastly, in regard to motion item (2)(b), I note that, based on the projects of concern raised by the community, this would prohibit development in an area bounded by Carruthers Street, Kent Street, Adelaide Avenue, Hopetoun Circuit and Gowrie Drive to the Federal Golf Club. It amounts to a moratorium on development and I consider this to be an inappropriate response to open and informative processes.
I reiterate that the community panel recommendations, together with the statutory Territory Plan variation processes, provide ample opportunity for the full range of stakeholder interests, development options and potential impacts—including cumulative impacts—to be considered in relation to the Federal Golf Club site and surrounding areas. I am very confident that the process used to inform the community about proposed changes to the Federal Golf Club strongly reflects the ACT government’s commitment to community engagement. The community panel processes should not be cast aside due to a myopic view on how consultation and development can occur.
Innovation is an essential component of development, as reflected in my statement of planning intent. This means that across government new methods of engaging with the community are needed and the community panel process provides the opportunity for stakeholder and community input at the earliest stages of development proposals. Not all community panels will reach consensus, but that is no reason to reject them out of hand. The Federal Golf Club community panel has raised important planning considerations and it has asked the hard questions up-front. It has been publicly documented and I am satisfied that the panel has achieved one if its purposes.
I have a comment on Ms Lawder’s comments in speaking to her motion this morning in regard to ClubsACT and its members and the government meeting with those members. I certainly met with the Vikings Group last week in relation to a meeting for Tuggeranong business owners. It is not that we have rejected meetings with them. In respect of Ms Lawder’s comments about development applications, I note that Ms Lawder put out a media release this morning citing that the Labor government pushed through the golf club’s controversial development plans.
I will state again, Madam Speaker, that there is no development application that has been lodged. So it is quite difficult for the government to push forward plans that have not been lodged. In relation to her comments about the community panel and being locked out of it, my understanding from our deputy director-general is that it was due to a staffing error. The club apologised to Ms Lawder and so did my deputy director-general. There was no intention to lock her out of the meeting at all.
In regard to the last point in Ms Lawder’s press release, calling on the government to suspend all development until these integrity issues are resolved, there is no development application in process. So we cannot call on the government to suspend a development that is not in process. I seek agreement to my amendment to the motion.
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