Page 4083 - Week 13 - Thursday, 10 November 1994
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MR WOOD (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for the Arts and Heritage and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (4.18): Madam Speaker, I want to come in initially on the question of approaches to me by Ros Kelly. The Opposition seems to be suggesting that it is remarkably strange that Ros Kelly should be promoting something down in Tuggeranong. Mrs Ellis will tell you that the alternative name for the Tuggeranong Town Centre, well known around Canberra, is Kelly Town. From day one Ros Kelly has not stopped promoting that centre. She went out and convinced people to go there. The fact that the Social Security building is there is due to Ros Kelly. You seem to say that there is something surprising in the fact that she should now promote further development there. How strange it is! What a ridiculous attitude you have! Ros Kelly has never been anything but the most outspoken proponent for that town centre and for Tuggeranong in general. Now, suddenly, you are saying to me, "Gee, that is strange. Why is she doing that?". She has done it for 10 years or more.
It is remarkable that the Liberal Party, coming in on this debate in which Mr Stevenson says that we want less red tape, less regulation, is now saying, via Mr Kaine, "Throttle it; close it". How will you do it, Mr Kaine? Only by regulation. We have in place here processes that every leaseholder in this Territory, every proponent of an idea, would want to be able to use. Mr Kaine is saying that we have to stop this. That is a legitimate view. How would you stop it? By regulation. I would have to take some measure simply to say no, and I expect that I would have to fall back on some regulation or I would finish up in the ACT Supreme Court.
Mr Kaine: Just do not approve another 16,000 square metres at the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. It is as simple as that. You do not need any regulation to do that. You have the power, Minister, to do it.
MR WOOD: That is a very interesting proposal coming from Mr Kaine. I think you should go out there and sell that. Maybe you should go down to the Tuggeranong Town Centre and say, "I do not want any more expansion here". It is a legitimate view and it is one I am having to deal with. I am having to deal with this situation of the viability of shopping areas, and I have to decide. I will not indicate just what I will do at the moment, because it is a matter of consideration by me, by my department and maybe by the Government. But I am certainly surprised at the approach of the Liberals.
This debate Mr Stevenson has raised was one that we had in the Assembly. The specific point was one we debated in the Assembly some months ago when it was raised by Mr De Domenico, and it was over the question of garages. Mr Stevenson says that there have been three objections in 3,000 letters, or something like that. My experience is that it is a bit more than that. Again, there are differing opinions. This Assembly over nearly six years has said emphatically, day after day after day, that we have to give the community the chance to be involved in what happens in their neighbourhoods. Mr Stevenson accepts that, and he is as outspoken a person in defence of that as anybody. We do that, and that, I have to say, involves some regulation, some red tape, and it does take time. These are the things, as was said earlier in this debate, that we have to balance. We have to provide for the expeditious delivery of services.
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