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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 3 Hansard (12 March) . . Page.. 906 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

Speaker, and withdraw those words. But I anticipate that it is a matter we will have to return to. If I might be permitted to say that-

MR SPEAKER: You will have to seek leave to speak. I would prefer you to withdraw that in your usual gracious manner.

Mr Quinlan: That is fine.

Woodland conservation and land releases

MS TUCKER (10. 56): I move:

That:

given the work currently being undertaken on the Spatial Plan (including the work on land capability) and the ACT Woodlands Conservation Strategy, as well as the inquiries resulting from the recent bushfires (including the non urban land study examining the best long term use of land used for softwood plantations); and

given that areas of high and very high conservation value (including in East O'Malley) have been identified for development in the land release program and community concerns that the revenue from these land sales have already been factored into the next budget;

This Assembly calls on the Government to:

      revise the residential, commercial and community land releases program in light of the outcomes of these processes/inquiries; and

      review the Territory Plan to ensure that all areas of high and very high conservation value yellow box/red gum grassy woodland and natural temperate grassland are given long term protection.

      I have moved this motion because the bushfires, although tragic and devastating, have presented us with a valuable opportunity for a rethink.

      While none of us wanted these fires, as a community we are trying to respond as positively and thoughtfully as we can, and to that end the government has instigated several specific studies, which it then wants to feed into the broader work being undertaken on instruments to guide Canberra's future development, in particular, the Spatial Plan.

      The Greens support coherent planning and policy-making-and any effort on the part of the government to be holistic and coherent in these areas is likely to be something that the Greens support. In the past we have condemned ad hoc policy making and planning, such as existed under the previous government, and we have supported this government's intention to base its policy and planning decisions on sound information.

      While we have often heard the Liberals say, "Not another study-tell us what you plan to do,"the Greens have not tried to make political mileage out of the government's need to base its policy and planning on the best possible information in order to make sound, coherent and well-integrated decisions.

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