Page 2944 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 6 August 2008

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government owned land; hence the conditions that went with the sale of that were in the purview of the Chief Minister.

MR SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Dr Foskey?

DR FOSKEY: Why isn’t the mix of housing, retail, commercial and public use in high-profile sites such as this determined by government social policy rather than by the developer? And does the government have any plans in place to review or correct the existing process?

MR BARR: I do not accept the premise of Dr Foskey’s question. I again remind her of the point I made in response to the initial question, which is around the difference between being a landowner and being an approving authority for development applications. What it does highlight is the need, through the review of the National Capital Authority’s responsibilities, to move towards the principle that the government—be it the territory or the commonwealth—party that owns the land should have planning approval for that particular land. That is why the government put forward such a policy position as part of the review of the NCA.

Dr Foskey: I do not believe that the minister responded to my actual question then.

MR SPEAKER: I think you had a supplementary.

Gas-fired power station

MR PRATT: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, given the announcement today that your government will now commit to a full environmental impact statement of the data centre proposal at Tuggeranong, why has your government up until today arrogantly ignored sound process and blatantly refused to take into consideration community concerns that all along sought a full EIS to be undertaken? When did ACTPLA first advise you orally or in writing that they were disposed to supporting an EIS for this project, and will you table all advice in the Assembly, Chief Minister?

MR STANHOPE: I am not the Minister for Planning. ACTPLA have never advised me orally or in writing in relation to a decision that there would be a full EIS in relation to this matter. They may have advised the Minister for Planning, but they certainly have not advised me.

MR SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Pratt.

MR PRATT: Chief Minister, whether you or your planning minister have the guts to answer that question remains to be seen.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Just come to the question.

Mr Stanhope: I beg your pardon, Mr Speaker. I just answered the question; the answer was no.

MR SPEAKER: Just come to the supplementary question, Mr Pratt.


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