Page 1961 - Week 05 - Thursday, 3 May 2012
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Prior to the last COAG meeting on 13 April and the national business advisory meeting the day before, the Chief Minister held a roundtable of local business leaders to discuss local reform issues and the priorities that the Chief Minister took to COAG. Following discussions at the COAG business advisory forum held the day before, COAG agreed to progress six priority areas for major reform around addressing duplicative and cumbersome environmental regulation and streamlining the process for approvals of major projects.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Seselja.
MR SESELJA: Minister, how will the large increase in the lease variation charge, moving up to over $50,000 for most units, affect business investment in the property sector and jobs in the property sector?
MR BARR: Markets adjust and what we will see is some of the speculative—
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Thank you, members. Mr Barr has the floor.
MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Some of the speculative activity that was occurring in relation to those areas of land within the territory that were zoned for redevelopment were seeing, quite frankly, some very large amounts being paid for that land and, as a result, we were seeing significant upward pressure on housing prices.
In fact, in relation to the implications of the lease variation charge—I remind Mr Seselja because he often forgets this; he is the Tony Abbott of Canberra but without even a skerrick of Tony Abbott’s significant economic credibility—Mr Seselja would be aware that these charges have been in place since the 1970s. Markets adjust. In fact, the biggest impact on the availability and the nature of property redevelopment will be zoning decisions taken in relation to the territory plan.
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Members, thank you. Mr Barr has the floor.
MR BARR: In fact, the decisions that have been taken by government, for example, to remove the moratorium on redevelopment north of Wakefield Avenue and Macarthur Avenue into Dickson and Lyneham, have provided additional opportunity for urban renewal to take place in areas identified by the government for such renewal. Town centres, transport corridors, group centres and around local centres is where we want to see urban renewal occur, and the government’s planning policies and tax policies are aligning to achieve those outcomes.
MR SPEAKER: Ms Porter, a supplementary.
MS PORTER: Minister, can you please outline what effects these reforms could have—
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