Page 1665 - Week 06 - Thursday, 3 June 2021

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Thursday, 3 June 2021

MADAM SPEAKER (Ms Burch) (10.00): Members:

Dhawura nguna, dhawura Ngunnawal.

Yanggu ngalawiri, dhunimanyin Ngunnawalwari dhawurawari.

Nginggada Dindi dhawura Ngunnaawalbun yindjumaralidjinyin.

The words I have just spoken are in the language of the traditional custodians and translate to:

This is Ngunnawal country.

Today we are gathering on Ngunnawal country.

We always pay respect to Elders, female and male, and Ngunnawal country.

Members, I ask you to stand in silence and pray or reflect on our responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.

Planning—district level

Ministerial statement

MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Manager of Government Business, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Industrial Relations and Workplace Safety, Minister for Planning and Land Management and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (10.01): District planning is a new element of the planning system that is being developed as part of the ACT planning system review and reform project. It is one of the ways for us to address what we have already heard about the ACT planning system and deliver improvements.

Our city’s population is expected to continue to grow. It is anticipated that we will have a population of 589,000 by 2041. Our new Canberrans will need to live somewhere, so we need to plan for their new suburbs and places of work, pleasure, schooling and recreation. The planning strategy already establishes locations where this growth may take place, but there will be other opportunities. All of Canberra’s districts will need to accommodate some of this growth and change. Every area will have different rates of growth and different community needs. We are asking key questions about Canberra’s future like, “Where will people live and work?” and “Where will they access services and facilities?” We are reaching out to the community to hear answers directly from Canberrans.

We need a good planning system to help us facilitate this change and growth across our city. We will need a system that is clear, easy to use and understand. We will also need a system that encourages improved design, not just for buildings but also for open spaces. Throughout 2019 and into 2020 we have been reviewing the ACT planning system. We have benchmarked against other planning systems, both within Australia and internationally. We have listened to the community, and we have looked at technical requirements. The outcomes of the review are outlined in a series of policy direction papers that I released in November 2020.


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