Page 2812 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 16 August 2017
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about hip height into other neighbours’ areas. They have a clear view of everything that is going on in the property. The view, I understand, is even better than on the first floor. The government says that the developer has complied with the privacy rules. Some of the affected residents have spent considerable amounts of money to try to preserve their privacy. In May last year I sent a letter to the Minister for Planning and Land Management asking some questions. Amongst other things, I asked about the use of landfill, changes in the natural fall of the ground, whether the fences complied with the DA approval and whether the development impinged on the privacy or solar access of neighbours.
The minister responded later that month and said that other residents had asked similar questions. He told me that a copy of a letter to them was attached. It was not. I have been trying to get a copy of that letter ever since—that is, since May last year. Then there were issues of whether the developer’s landscaping complied with the approved landscaping design. One resident told me that grass had been planted all the way to the back fence and there were no trees or shrubs, as per the approved landscape design. Once again, I sent a letter to the minister. This was in April last year. I am still waiting for a response from the minister. In February this year I followed up with the minister on both of these letters, the ones written in April and May last year. Just like the other correspondence on the Kinleyside development, it has been ignored by the minister. The minister’s inaction led me to put questions on notice. They appeared on the notice paper this week. I wonder whether the minister finally will give me some answers.
There are two other developments in Weetangera, both of them in Smith Street. In April this year I wrote about both of these developments. I am still waiting for a response. For one of them, I have again put questions on notice. Maybe if I put questions on notice I will get answers to my questions, because there is some requirement in the standing orders to answer those questions. When a constituent wrote to me about the other residential development in Smith Street, he said he had sent an email to the Minister for Planning and Land Management on 30 January 2017. In that email, he complained about a lack of substantive response from his directorate to objections that he had made about 17 Smith Street. The minister ignored it.
I wrote to the minister in April and followed up in July. The Minister for Planning and Land Management has ignored these letters too. It seems that getting anything out of Mr Gentleman is like extracting teeth. It seems that Mr Gentleman, as the minister for land planning, really exemplifies the kind of contempt that this government holds the people of Canberra in, which has been highlighted by Ms Lawder’s motion.
I also think the Minister for Planning and Land Management holds the members of this place in contempt. I am aware of two instances recently. One was where I was invited to spend half an hour of my time to talk about the Kippax master plan. I do not mind doing that. I have spent a bit of time talking about the Kippax master plan. I was asked to come at 8.30 on a particular evening and I was given 1½ days notice. I thought I could attend, but it turned out that I could not attend. With such little notice it is very difficult to attend. I note that Ms Lee received similarly short notice recently in relation to the Federal Golf Club. These are the issues that show such bad governance from this government. They should be remedied.
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