Page 738 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 8 April 2014
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Mr Coe needs to rethink his position on this. He needs to demonstrate that, after many years now as opposition shadow for planning, he actually has some grasp of the legislation before him on the table. His comments to date display a gross inadequacy when it comes to any level of understanding around the detail of this bill and how it actually operates in practice. It is an opportunity for him to demonstrate engagement and a constructive approach to an important piece of legislation that needs to be debated further by this place, and over the years those opposite are on the public record as supporting such approaches in principle.
The Liberal Party have indicated that they believe in projects of territorial significance legislation. They have indicated they believe large projects are contentious and sometimes you need a clear and streamlined process to facilitate decision-making in relation to their development or otherwise. They are on the record as saying that, and it is now incumbent on Mr Coe and his colleagues to engage in this debate and not simply block it, not simply be obstructionist and not gloat from the sidelines, as Madam Speaker said in an earlier speech in this place. They should engage constructively, and that is the approach that should be adopted in relation to this inquiry.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (11.29): This is just about the practicality of the matter. The government’s consultation guidelines used to be that on significant public matters the issue should be on the table for 12 weeks. I think it is now six weeks, but in this case the government is asking the community to respond in less than a four-week cycle. If, for instance, the Tuggeranong Community Council wanted to have a commentary on this, the community council will not meet until the first Tuesday in May, and yet this committee is meant to respond a couple of days later on 6 May. It is physically impossible for the community to respond to this—unless that is, of course, the intention of the minister.
Mr Barr interjecting—
Organisations could call a special meeting, but most organisations have constitutions requiring that notice must be given of a meeting. It is almost impossible. You first have to get the executive together. Andrew Barr wants the Tuggeranong Community Council executive to get together now to call a special meeting of the Tuggeranong Community Council so that everybody else can drop whatever they are doing, come to this special meeting so they can discuss it, frame a response, get that response to the committee and then decide whether they wish to appear before the committee so the committee can then have its private deliberation to construct a report for tabling in four weeks. This is far too important an issue to be rushed in this way. The government at least need to give the committee the respect to say, “You will have an adequate amount of time to do your job.”
There used to be government consultation guidelines for 12 weeks on a major issue. I think all members would agree that this is a major issue. This is the bill that you have when you have done too little, where you have come to the game too late, or when you have been too slow to react to a change in economic circumstances. You just change the law to suit you. But the people of the ACT will live with the long-term consequences.
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