Page 6011 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 8 December 2010

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(a) the Canberra Airport is a key piece of infrastructure for the ACT that supports economic growth of Canberra and the region; and

(b) aircraft noise is an issue of concern for many Canberrans, including residents in Gungahlin and North Canberra who do not live in an aircraft noise abatement zone; and

(2) calls on the Federal Government to:

(a) adjust the noise abatement zone to include all homes in Canberra, including those in Gungahlin and the inner north; and

(b) ensure that Canberrans are protected by legislating noise abatement zones that would provide a new level of security and certainty to Canberrans across the Territory.”.

I commend the amendment to the Assembly. The amendment makes the statement that there are no second-class citizens in the ACT when it comes to aircraft noise, that people in the growing parts of Gungahlin are not second-class citizens anymore, and calls on the commonwealth to fix that anomaly. Much further than that, we do not want to be subject to the vagaries in future of administrative change that could potentially see these noise abatement zones changed. They should be changed in order to cover the whole of the ACT. All of the residential areas of Canberra should be covered, but they should also be legislated. I commend my amendment to the Assembly and I look forward to the support of other members.

MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Land and Property Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (7.56): The motion today raised by Mr Rattenbury gives me an opportunity, which I appreciate, to provide an update on the proposed residential development in south Tralee, the related issues of the Canberra international airport and aircraft noise and the capacity for the ACT to influence what is a New South Wales decision.

The ACT government, as members know, has no control over whether or not residential development will occur in the south Tralee area. This is rightly a matter for the Queanbeyan City Council and ultimately the New South Wales government. However, while the ACT government expects and has at all times acknowledged our respect for Queanbeyan’s right to grow and to prosper, we have over many years been a strong opponent of Tralee rezoning.

Many in this place may not be aware that the development of Tralee has been active since the late 1990s and that over that time a multitude of statutory planning processes have occurred, including an independent inquiry in 2006, commissioned by the New South Wales planning minister. It also needs to be recognised that the south Tralee rezoning is the first stage of a 25-year land release strategy prepared by the Queanbeyan City Council for development in the south Jerrabomberra corridor—a strategy approved by the New South Wales government on 12 December 2008,


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