Page 4620 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 27 November 2019
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Madam Assistant Speaker, I would like to briefly draw your attention to some of the evidence given by the minister in the hearing. During the hearing, I asked Minister Gentleman, and I am referring to Hansard:
Just looking at this from an SLA bottom line perspective, this would be a wonderful place to live, wouldn’t it? These would be prime blocks.
The minister agreed and said:
As Daniel was saying—
referring to Daniel Iglesias—
the views from there are quite incredible. The escarpment on the edge of the river is particularly spectacular …
I went on to ask:
… if a decision were made to not proceed with any residential development … It would impact the SLA bottom line at the end of that whole scenario, wouldn’t it, and impact it quite severely?
This is the response I got from Mr Gentleman:
I will not speak for SLA, but I would say that if those blocks did not go ahead, they would look to find some other blocks. We are looking to ensure that we can supply enough land for the growing population, whether it is there or somewhere else.
I followed up. I said:
… in answer to my question, you suggested to me that if you did not build them there, you would build them somewhere else.
Minister Gentleman’s response was:
Certainly, yes.
In this instance, where it is abundantly clear that everyone agrees except the government, I call upon the government to reconsider and to stop being so arrogantly pig-headed.
I would note that, as has been pointed out by Ms Le Couteur, the committee recommended that the Coombs peninsula be withdrawn from the land release program, and this was not agreed to by the government. I fully support Mrs Jones’s motion.
Debate interrupted in accordance with standing order 74 and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour.
Sitting suspended from 11.56 am to 2.00 pm.
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