Page 3460 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 23 September 2015
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I doubt Mr Rattenbury and Mr Gentleman have even glanced at the estate plan for Moncrieff. Mr Rattenbury certainly is not aware of the fact that the MBA is doing an energy efficiency display village at Moncrieff. He came in here and suggested, “Wouldn’t it be a great idea if somebody did this at some point?” Well, it is happening right now. It just goes to show that other than the few glib lines they have regarding solar access they really do not care how the policies play out in reality.
Mr Rattenbury also said the government should be working with industry. The facts are that this government rejected the views of the MBA, the HIA, the Planning Institute, the Property Council, the Institute of Architects, the Institute of Landscape Architects and many, many others. Now Mr Gentleman and Mr Rattenbury come into this place and say they are going to work with industry. All those quotes I gave out earlier were from industry two years ago. In 2013 Mr Jerry Howard said:
When they see the results on the ground, we’ll spend another two years trying to iron all this out.
That is exactly where we are today. Because of the Labor and Greens’ ideology we have solar access rules which are absolutely unworkable and we have energy inefficient homes that face east and west. In many instances the only parts of houses that face north are the double garage doors. Mr Rattenbury’s advice to somebody who has just bought a $450,000 block of land is to build a small home. Try to get a loan for a 130-square-metre house when you have just paid $450,000 for your land. You go into negative equity pretty quickly there, Mr Rattenbury. Then you get bankruptcies, repossessions and all the misery that comes as a result.
All these problems are of this government’s creation. This is not just a point in time; this will go on forever because the poorly designed estates in Molonglo and in Gungahlin will be there for hundreds of years. They will forever be the legacy of this government and their alliance with the Greens.
I am disappointed Mr Gentleman is so stubborn that, despite all the experts saying this policy is a failure, he refuses to accept it. I would not be at all surprised that if, in a few months’ time, very quietly he releases a variation to the territory plan that increases the solar fence. I fully expect that will happen, but it will be three years too late. It will be too late for the hundreds of dwellings in Moncrieff and Wright that are energy inefficient, have poor drainage systems and have poor quality of life for the inhabitants. I urge those in the chamber and those with an interest in future of Canberra to support the motion.
Visitors
MADAM SPEAKER: I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of members of the Prostate Cancer Support Group of the ACT Region, who are guests of the Speaker this evening at a function. Welcome to your Assembly.
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