Page 1183 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 4 May 2022
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As I outlined in the chamber earlier today, our agenda is focused on the four key priorities of delivering skills inclusively, to provide all Canberrans with a foundation for life-long learning; building a responsible, flexible and future-focused workforce, particularly a skills system that identifies areas of future skills growth like technology, construction and the caring and experience industries; assisting employers to build, attract and retain the right workforce; and strengthening our skills sector foundations.
The construction of CIT Woden will help us to achieve these priorities and provide a huge boost for vocational education and training in the ACT with new hands-on training spaces and immersive work-simulated environments to help students achieve their full potential in areas like IT and cybersecurity, as well as hospitality and business, plus much more. The new campus will be much more than a building. It will ensure that CIT remains a provider of choice and an agile partner to meet industry, business and community needs by delivering quality vocational education and training for the jobs of the future.
CIT, following the development of their strategic compass, are going to be undertaking a reform program, looking at how they can make sure that their course offering meets the skills needs of the future.
Planning—community consultation
MS CLAY: My question is to the minister for planning. Minister, the current planning bill has been out for consultation for around six weeks, and there are about another six weeks left. Community members have told me what good consultation looks like. They think it needs to be transparent, well informed, give plenty of opportunities for questions and involve a diverse range of people and groups. I heard from community members on the earlier sessions that there was not enough time for questions, they could not provide verbal feedback and sessions were not recorded. But I was really pleased to hear that today’s session went well. It was recorded, questions were asked mid-session and it focused on the environmental impact provisions. Can you tell me how consultations have been going so far, including the number of people in attendance and whether the recorded sessions will be published?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Clay for the question. I will refer her to the previous answers I have provided to her, and the extensive engagement between my office and hers regarding the consultation for the new planning bill. I have answered a lot of questions for her regarding this. Consultation has been going very well so far. The directorate has held four information sessions on the bill, as well as a facilitated workshop with the Environment and Planning Forum. There is at least one more information session scheduled, along with a second facilitated workshop with the EPF.
I would like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that consultation is open until 15 June this year, which means people have a further six weeks to have their say. Seventy people, I think, have attended so far, and there will be more attending these other sessions as well. This is quite a bit longer than most ACT government legislation consultation periods, and we have a separate plan of consultation coming up for the district strategies in the Territory Plan, which started earlier this year.
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