Page 3017 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 5 December 1989
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able to do in the last six months is produce a discussion paper which, at best, raises more questions than it answers. Both the business sector and the individual citizen have become increasingly concerned during the life of this Government over the lack of clearly defined processes leading to planning and land use decisions. Both have become increasingly concerned that open, responsible appeals processes have not been set in place.
The future economic and social well-being of Canberra and its citizens is now heavily dependent on proper arrangements being set in place by the ACT Government; and here, too, it has failed. No positive action has been initiated for the establishment of a permanent territorial planning authority, nor have we seen the establishment of guidelines and principles within which such a body could operate, and no appeals mechanism has even been defined. This Government has been unable to ensure predictability and consistency in decision making in matters of land management, and the ACT has suffered materially from this uncertainty. There has, quite bluntly, been no plausible excuse for this Government's total lack of performance in this important matter, which was high on the political agenda for months before self-government was granted.
In connection with that, Mr Speaker, I would like to quote from a document received from the Master Builders Association because two comments are relevant, and this represents the industry view. It states:
Despite many reviews, submissions, studies, reports and consultations over the past decade, the Territory does not have a planning system which will provide a basis on which industry can determine its forward plans for investment, job creation and business expansion.
That is a factual commentary on what the Government has presented us with. Finally, it states:
The ACT now has the most complicated approval system in Australia, whereas prior to self-government we led the field.
That is a comment on the Government's performance. Mr Speaker, there are many other areas in which the Government has simply not performed, such as health, education and municipal services, to name but a few. My colleagues have expanded or will expand on them. This minority Government has been inept; worse, it has become arrogant in its ineptitude, and it has simply neglected the interests of the people of Canberra.
The Territory has always inspired pride in its citizens. Over the last six months that pride has become tarnished because of this Government's lack of management skills, reflected in major functions like managing our hospitals, on the one hand, and even in the simplest of functions like
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