Page 1977 - Week 07 - Thursday, 23 August 2007

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provide affordable housing for the people of Canberra needs to be put in its place. (Time expired.)

Question put:

That clauses 30 to 44 be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 10		Noes 7
Mr Barr	Mr Gentleman		Mrs Burke	Mr Smyth
Mr Berry	Mr Hargreaves		Mrs Dunne	Mr Stefaniak
Mr Corbell	Ms MacDonald		Mr Mulcahy
Dr Foskey	Ms Porter		Mr Pratt
Ms Gallagher	Mr Stanhope		Mr Seselja

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Clauses 30 to 44 agreed to.

Clauses 45 and 46, by leave, taken together and agreed to.

Clause 47.

DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (4.45): I will speak to both clauses 47 and 48 in this speech. Objects clauses are important, and not just as reference material in the case of ambiguity in the interpretation of legislative provisions. The object of the territory plan, according to clause 47, is to provide the people of the ACT with an attractive, safe and efficient environment in which to live, work and have recreation.

This term “efficient environment” has me asking questions. Efficient for whom? For people to live in or drive in, or is it efficient for ecosystem resilience? At best, it is too vague; at worst, it points to a focus on the built environment without reference to the landscapes with which they have an ultimate relationship. In fact, on the whole, when this legislation mentions “environment”, it is referring to the built environment. I think that should be made clear. The built environment can be efficient, although one hopes it is other things as well, but I do not think it is a term that can be applied to the natural environment.

One certainly could use resources such as land, water or energy efficiently and we could use space efficiently, or we could design facilities which operate efficiently. But if that really is the object of the act then it should be spelt out. Furthermore, if we are going to write those values into the objects of the plan then I would like to see social equity and an understanding of the relationship between the natural environment and the built environment written in.

Assuming that the reference to an efficient environment is as purely anthropocentric as it sounds, I have to ask: does the concept of an efficient environment contain at its heart the imperative that it must also be a healthy environment for the people who

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