Dr WOODRUFF question to MINISTER for PLANNING, Mr JAENSCH
During the height of COVID-19 restrictions and despite the unjustly short time frame, your department has confirmed 1755 people made submissions to the controversial major projects bill. As at 5 p.m. yesterday, some 206 of those submissions had not been uploaded to the department's website, including those from the Residents Opposed to the Cable Car and members of the East Coast Alliance who spoke out against the Cambria Green development. Of the 1549 published submissions, 98 per cent of them explicitly oppose the bill and only 12, a tiny 1 per cent, are in support of it, almost all from organisations with a vested development interest. The views of 206 people are not available to us as legislators to consider, despite the fact the bill is listed for debate today. What do you say to those people whose voices have been shut out on this controversial issue?
Madam SPEAKER - Apparently I have to draw the line on issues that are about to be debated today, so I will ask the minister to address only the parts that are relevant to planning.
Ms O'CONNOR - Point of order, Madam Speaker, on that ruling. The question did not relate to the clauses in the legislation. It related to the department's failure to upload the submissions. We were quite careful about the wording.
ANSWER
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Acknowledging the constraints on us to discuss a matter which is an order of the day, I can confirm that all submissions made to the major projects process in its most recent 10 week consultation period were acknowledged and responded to individually. The department went through a process of de-identifying those submissions for uploading to our website. We have had questions raised about some that people could not identify as being their own. We have asked the department to ensure that they follow up and make sure that those submissions are uploaded to the website so that people can see them.
The most important issue is that also on the website there is a report summarising matters raised in submissions and the responses to those from us -
Dr Woodruff - That's not the same thing as people's views. That's your take on people's views.
Madam SPEAKER - Order, Dr Woodruff.
Mr JAENSCH - and included in the latest version, as tabled, of the major projects bill. Those submissions have been received, read and acknowledged, and the matters raised in them have been included in the Government's response -
Dr Woodruff - Then why aren't they available for me and every member of this House to read for the debate today?
Madam SPEAKER - Order, Dr Woodruff.
Mr JAENSCH - and in the final version of the bill which we will be commencing debate on today.