[Greens-Media] Continual "call in" shows up ACT Government

[Manderson, Roland]

ACT GREENS MLA DEB FOSKEY MEDIA RELEASE

Weds 10 Aug 2005

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Continual "call in" shows up ACT Government

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey has questioned the ACT Government's commitment to its own planning regime given the Minister is calling in developments at an increasing rate. This follows the announcement that he is calling in the proposed new office block development on Section 89 in Canberra's Civic Centre (Canberra Times, today).

"All the best planning in the world can be overridden overnight if the Minister responds to political or business pressure. Unfortunately that is happening more and more often in this city" Dr Foskey said today.

"It seems that various visions for Civic that are all over the media now will fade into insignificance when a developer uses economic pressure to have their proposed development called in."

"The Queensland Investment Corporation's massive development in Civic, which involved the handover of community land and a fraught and inadequate replacement of the Griffin Centre, has been assisted every step of the way by the ACT Government.  One can only imagine the same process and pressures will apply to West Civic and around City Hill."

"The Greens support the Minister in his opposition to commercial competitors manipulating the planning appeals process, but by "calling in" developments every time there is a problem he (and the developer pressuring him) is just as guilty of manipulating the system" Dr Foskey said.


================================
Roland Manderson   Media Advisor
ACT   Greens    MLA  Deb  Foskey  
Legislative Assembly for the ACT 
ph(02)62050841      m 0412241379
==== www.act.greens.org.au ===== 
  
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