Page 3447 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 17 September 2019
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Needless to say, I and the Canberra Liberals cannot support this bill as drafted. We trust ordinary Canberrans. We trust them to form associations that meet their needs. We trust them to know what their needs really are. We want to see them empowered to pursue their own agendas, free from unjust obstacles or artificial scarcity. We believe in a genuinely diverse society where people and community organisations can actively pursue a plurality of priorities without having to beg for this government’s blessing. This is the Canberra that the Canberra Liberals believe in. These are the Canberrans that the Canberra Liberals represent.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Manager of Government Business, Minister for Advanced Technology and Space Industries, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (11.51), in reply: I am pleased to finalise the bill today. I thank members for their contributions to this debate. I advise I that intend to seek leave of the Assembly to move government amendments to the bill pursuant to standing order 182A on the basis that those amendments are quite minor and technical in nature.
As members know, the bill establishes a new framework for the identification and release of land to not-for-profit community organisations in the territory and involves various amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2007. This is a new strategic and forward-looking framework to replace the outdated community direct sale policy. It sets a fairer and more transparent system. It means that the community gets the most from community land, and also allows a consultative approach. I am not surprised that those opposite are opposing the bill; it is typical of them to oppose something that involves transparency, fairness and community involvement.
The new framework established in the bill is the result of the review of the community direct sale mechanism and the review identified several issues with the process. In particular the review found that the process does not adequately provide the community facilities the Canberra community needs. It also found that the current process does not take into account the growing pressures on the ability and availability of land. Further, the existing process is too reliant on case-by-case assessments and is not sufficiently consistent, transparent or accountable.
Experience has shown that the first come, first served basis creates an uneven playing field for community organisations often favouring larger, well-resourced organisations to the detriment of providing wider community benefits. This new process seeks to create a fairer and more transparent system.
The community direct sale policy was put in place when Canberra was a very different place. The aim then was to attract community organisations and services to Canberra by directly gifting them parcels of land. However, as Canberra continues to grow and land resources become increasingly scarce, we as a government and as a community need to make more efficient and effective use of these limited resources.
Given these policy settings, it is important to adopt a more strategic and equitable process for allocating community land to maximise the benefit of these resources for
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