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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (27 November) . . Page.. 4909 ..

MRS DUNNE (continuing):

Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment, I present to the Assembly the report on draft variation No 130 to the Territory Plan. This report addresses the background and intent of draft variation 130 while also scrutinising changing land-use policies in the ACT. The key intent of draft variation 130 is to revise the detailed planning and basic land-use policy framework of the existing Territory Plan for the proposed new suburbs of Bonner, Casey, Forde, Jacka, Moncrieff and Taylor, and parts of Amaroo and Ngunnawal in north Gungahlin. The development covers an area of 1,500 hectares and will provide approximately 14,100 dwellings which will accommodate approximately 34,500 people when fully developed. It also amends two of the area-specific policies in the residential policies in the Territory Plan written statement.

While the committee has recommended the adoption of draft variation 130, the committee believes it was inappropriate for the draft variation to precede the finalisation of the lowland woodland conservation strategy, which is scheduled to be tabled in the Assembly in December this year, as there may be a requirement to review the existing structure plans to ensure the protection of the remaining lowland grassy woodlands in the region.

The central purpose of the draft strategy, as articulated on page 2, is "to inform decision making regarding land use planning, and the development and management of land in the ACT"pertaining to conservation. The committee is hopeful that the government will ensure that the strategy plays an integral role in the development of proposals for current and future draft variations to the Territory Plan.

The draft variation report is being tabled beyond the expiry of its interim effect because the committee required time to research and analyse the issues and evaluate ACTPLA's processes. In addition, from the commencement of its inquiry, the committee felt pressured by ACTPLA and the Minister for Planning due to the land release program being contingent upon the committee approving draft variation 130. Members who care to peruse the minutes will see, on many occasions, reference being made to the committee being given hurry-ups by ACTPLA because it was concerned about the impact this would have on the land release program. And there are recommendations in the report along the lines of: "If you want to release land in the land release program, do the planning first. Don't expect the committee and the community-more importantly the community-to come in line after decisions have been made, but before the planning is done."

The committee is required to scrutinise matters relating to planning and land management. Its role is to recommend improvements in the quality and transparency of government policy-making and decision-making. The committee believes that, due to the limited time between the receipt of the variation and the expiry of the variation's interim effect on 21 October, the committee's ability to objectively consider and give thorough consideration to all the issues relating to the land policy has been compromised.

The committee is of the view that ACTPLA needs to improve its processes of how it achieves meta-planning. There is a need to provide more clarity and specific definitions of what it proposes for land-use policies, and for the process to be clearly understood by the community.

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