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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 09 Hansard (Tuesday, 17 August 2004) . . Page.. 3722 ..

The government is conscious of the need to provide protection for confidential services balanced with the need for community input into planning processes. Having said that, consultation will be directed to where it can best add value. It will also provide for those who may be materially affected and operate within an administratively tolerable resource allocation. In respect of the budget process the committee report fails to recognise that the government already undertakes comprehensive community consultation in developing its budget, including capital works.

In undertaking major project development, governments will always be challenged to identify the point at which effective community consultation can be undertaken. It is important to ensure that effective consultation is undertaken on clear and definable projects in order to avoid misinformation or misunderstanding in the community on the government’s capital works program. That is a goal that this government will continue to work towards. It is also important to recognise that the government’s capital works program is developed centrally with proposals brought forward by agencies. It is important to balance a centralised approach with a need to ensure agency ownership of projects and effective service delivery.

The government’s response notes that the concept of a rolling program has already been adopted in part and will be further implemented in future budgets. Further refinements will improve the capital works program over the whole cycle—from needs analysis and conception to delivery and post-completion review. While the committee report does not include recommendations specific to the Karralika development I would like to take this opportunity to inform the Assembly that ACT Health will soon be commencing a broad community consultation process on the proposed expansion of the Karralika site at Fadden.

Demand for residential rehabilitation services in the ACT is growing. The government believes that some expansion of the Fadden site is needed to meet that demand. However, this proposed expansion would be limited in scale compared to the expansion proposed in May 2003. The consultation process will involve broad community representation. ACT Health will be seeking feedback from the community on this proposal. I now table the government’s response to report 31 of the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment.

Land (Planning and Environment) Act

Paper and statement by minister

MR QUINLAN (Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism, and Minister for Sport, Racing and Gaming): I present the following paper:

Land (Planning and Environment) Act, pursuant to section 229B (7)—Statement regarding exercise of call-in powers—Development application No 200402290—Blocks 3 and 4, Section 88 City, dated 11 August 2004.

I seek leave to make a statement.

Leave granted.

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