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On reading Ms Tucker's motion, it is very difficult to decide whether to support it or not support it. My understanding of the way things happen in this place is that the first people asked for their opinion are the community. With a major project like John Dedman Drive or Monash Drive that would have an effect on the environment, you would have to consult the National Capital Planning Authority - this morning we have been debating the role of the National Capital Planning Authority - before you even started contemplating lifting a rock or a stone. Another policing process goes on through the Planning and Environment Committee. My colleague Mr Humphries tells me that this is one matter that definitely would have to go to the Planning and Environment Committee. It would then go to the Assembly, and ultimately, after all those processes, the Assembly would decide.

I am pleased that Ms Tucker supports the need for a major transport study of the whole area to look at the impact of the extra traffic coming in from Gungahlin, where it is going and the type of traffic. We should not be going off holus-bolus building roads, when we could perhaps get around that by looking at things like light rail - something that my predecessor, Mr Lamont, was very keen on. An allocation in this budget will enable us to go through that major transport study.

I can assure Ms Tucker and the Assembly that this Government has no intention of going ahead holus-bolus bulldozing Black Mountain and all that sort of thing. However, it is true that the Government is about to rebuild the blockage-prone intersection of Ginninderra Drive and Mouat Street in Lyneham to improve the traffic flow from Belconnen and Gungahlin. It is essential that we do that to prevent cars from going through suburbs like Turner, O'Connor and Lyneham and causing havoc to the residents of those suburbs. We may need to look at road traffic calming measures, unpopular as they are with residents. I note that Mr Wood is smiling. He is aware that some people in Kambah are unhappy about traffic measures on Learmonth Drive. They are unhappy because, poor things, they cannot speed along Learmonth Drive to get to the Hyperdome. They now have to go the way they are supposed to go, down the Tuggeranong expressway - or the Tuggeranong speedway, as some people call it. But those whose amenities are being spoilt are, of course, delighted that we have put the traffic calming measures in. Having driven around traffic calming measures myself, I have said to residents that they do exactly what they are meant to do, and that is slow you down - slow you down before you run over someone's child as they are playing in their front yard.

A lot of things are going to be done before we even turn a stone. I can assure members of this Assembly that they will have the final say, as always. But, before the matter comes here we will go through community consultation, we will talk to the NCPA and the matter will go through our Planning and Environment Committee. There will be plenty of opportunities for everybody in this place to have input. I think I will stop there. My colleague the Minister for Planning might want to say something, and I know that Mr Wood is quite anxious to get on his feet as well.


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