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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 4 Hansard (9 April) . . Page.. 818 ..
MR CORBELL (continuing):
A range of initiatives were considered during that process. Those included the need for inclusive and transparent collaboration. That was the number one theme of the neighbourhood planning workshop. What does that say about the past six years of planning under the Liberal Party? That was the number one priority for everybody. Second was effective implementation that leads to tangible outcomes, and then came clarity, consistency and certainty in all neighbourhood planning processes, a long-term vision for the ACT and strategic planning that integrates city planning with neighbourhood issues.
These were not the government's objectives. These were not the government's aims. These were the aims that came from those 200 or so people, including Mrs Dunne and Ms Dundas, who sat down and said, "This is what we want to see from the government."
The first specific neighbourhood planning program workshop was held on 26 March in Deakin. Over 100 people attended that meeting, and participants expressed their views on a range of issues, including the three most important things they believe help make an ideal neighbourhood, the three things they most enjoy about their neighbourhood now, and the actions required to make their neighbourhood even better.
Neighbourhood planning is continuing across the city. There is a meeting tonight in Turner. There is one on 10 April in O'Connor, and another one on the 11th in Lyneham. On 17 April, the program moves to Braddon, and on 1 May into Dickson. All of these meetings have been very widely advertised. We have sought to engage a much broader range of people than the previous government ever sought to involve in planning issues. I think the results are starting to speak for themselves.
Overwhelmingly, the response to neighbourhood planning has been extremely positive. We will be continuing to work, not simply with residents organisations and industry groups but, for example, with focus groups, school-based groups-such as parents and friends committees-and student representative councils. Building on the results of the work done in the workshops, the first draft neighbourhood plans will be developed in September. After further collaboration, the final plans will be prepared, and it is planned to release them in October.
Mr Speaker, I notice Mrs Dunne walking away at this point. She has expressed some scepticism about the timetable. I am happy to reiterate the timetable, Mrs Dunne, because we believe we can do the master planning process effectively. We believe that the neighbourhood planning process can be effective and we believe that it can be done in a timely manner. I am committed, and this government is committed, to ensuring that neighbourhood planning works and that collaboration becomes the key to planning in our city. It was a six-year tortuous process under the Liberal Party, which clearly did them no credit and gave them no credibility on planning issues.
We are putting in place a new and collaborative approach, one that I think marks a distinct change of heart and a distinct change of emphasis, to working with, rather than against, local residents.
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