Page 4286 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 25 October 2017
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MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (10.30): Madam Speaker, I wish to speak to the amendment. It is interesting that Mr Gentleman has talked about a myopic view in his speech to his amendment. I noted just yesterday an article in RiotACT from a former national capital development commissioner who spoke last night to the Deakin Residents Association. I will quote a couple of items in this particular article because I think they are very telling and very relevant to the discussion that we are having today about planning matters generally here in the ACT. Yesterday’s article states:
A former National Capital Development Commissioner will tonight issue a wake-up call to the ACT’s community councils and residents groups in a hard-hitting speech that accuses the Barr Government of corrupting due process and being incompetent.
This is from the former the NCDC commissioner, Madam Speaker. I will repeat that last bit:
… accuses the Barr Government of corrupting due process and being incompetent.
Last night the former NCDC commissioner said:
This is a situation that doesn’t occur in the States—
The states of Australia—
where such matters—
planning matters—
are the responsibility of local councils in which their planning committees debate and make decisions on both the setting of planning regulations and the approval of development applications at public meetings.
A bit further on the article states that the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate is not doing its job properly. That is what this article says:
It doesn’t carry out necessary investigations into the community needs to be served, the likelihood of adverse environmental impacts, the compounding effects of multiple development approvals in residential and suburban shopping areas and provision of public transport and public parking availability.
That is what he was going to say last night. It sounds very similar to some of the items in the motion before us today. He said:
It doesn’t carry out the necessary investigations into the community needs to be served …
The former commissioner went to say:
… the directorate’s planning section is chronically understaffed and can only process development applications, which it manages poorly.
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