Page 1646 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 6 June 2023
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Clause 112.
MS CLAY (Ginninderra) (4.08): I move amendment No 13 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 1701].
The Planning Bill sets out a public notification period of at least 20 working days for consultation on an environmental impact statement. Now, environmental impact statements are used only for significant developments—that is, matters triggered by regulation. It can include a proposal that is likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact on critically endangered species like the Canberra earless dragon, the golden sun moth or our natural temperate grasslands. It can also include major proposals like the construction of a transport corridor or changing a land use for a commercial landfill facility.
These are major decisions, and they are not made daily. They need to be well informed and well considered. Environmental impact statements are highly complex. They can be difficult for members of the public to digest without assistance. Genuine and thoughtful consultation is required in order to ensure that environmental impacts are properly considered. It will need time if there is going to be meaningful comment.
The people who might want to comment include our traditional custodians. They include environmental organisations like the Environmental Defenders Office or the Conservation Council or our catchment groups or Friends of Grasslands. They include individuals with a close environmental connection to the land—they might want to comment—and Canberra is really rich with ecologists and land carers. It would be a shame to dismiss all of these people by setting up a process that excludes them. Neighbours might also want to comment if it directly affects them. It is really hard for people in this situation to respond quickly and thoughtfully to government time lines on complex matters. We need to provide a process that works for people, and we need to give them the right amount of time.
My amendment increases the time frame to notify an environmental impact, from a minimum of 20 working days to 30 working days. This will ensure that key stakeholders and members of the community have adequate time to consider and respond on such a significant environmental protection measure. This amendment is in line with the first recommendation from the committee inquiry into the Planning Bill, and I commend the amendment to the Assembly.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 112, as amended, agreed to.
Clauses 113 to 115, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Clause 116.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video