Page 4999 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 26 October 2011
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“Throw out good planning.” We are not saying, “Throw out good regulations and good laws.” We are saying: “Get the process right. Put in place a proper process, not a convoluted process.” If that is the only jibe he has got, that there is good red tape and bad red tape, it is a pretty weak case.
I think the problem for Mr Barr is: Mr Barr in the main got a lot of the planning right, unlike Mr Corbell, and Mr Corbell is now back in charge. Mr Corbell, when for years I asked for a master plan for Tuggeranong, said, “Tuggeranong is not old enough for a master plan yet.” You have got to get old and decrepit and have all the mistakes come out before you can have a master plan. Mr Barr actually got that. He understood that you can master-plan and get ahead of the game. And indeed, we will give him credit for trying to get ahead of the game in areas like Tuggeranong. Mr Corbell did not want one in Tuggeranong. He did not want one in Erindale.
Mr Barr interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Mr Barr, thank you. Order, Mr Barr.
MR SMYTH: He did not want one in Erindale. But Mr Barr got it. But now Mr Corbell is back in charge—
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, members on both sides.
MR SMYTH: Mr Corbell is back in charge and, of course, nothing is going to happen. Mr Corbell is back. There is pressure, due to past failures to appropriately plan under Mr Corbell’s tenure as planning minister. We did not have adequate aged-care facility sites available. Give Mr Barr his due. He was trying to get them out there. But it is the problem that comes from Mr Corbell’s time as the planning minister that we are really dealing with now.
If this motion gets amended, and it will clearly get amended, Mr Corbell is quite happy to agree with what the Greens want to do, because the Greens do not ask for anything. There is no time frame here. They ask to prioritise the master plan and Mr Corbell says: “Yes, we will prioritise. We will prioritise right out of the park.” They will not make sure this happens. Instead of trying to fix the impact of the previous failures, Mr Corbell is now going to exacerbate them. The government are quite comfortable, and I am sure they are quite comfortable, with the Greens’ amendment because the Greens have basically given them a get out of jail free card on this issue.
It is interesting when you look at what Ms Bresnan had to say. Yes, again we agree with the whole issue of aged care. But that does not mean you make mistakes now that will exacerbate problems into the future. The Greens have had three budgets, and Ms Le Couteur exposed this. She said, “In three budgets we have asked for lots of things, and they gave us a park and ride.” They said they would do a park and ride. We do not know where it will be. Mr Corbell is already now describing it as a very small, very modest park and ride. “We will give the Greens a modest park and ride for three years support of the government.” But we do not know where it is.
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