Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-03-04 Daily Xml

Contents

GREATER MOUNT GAMBIER MASTER PLAN

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:54): I have a supplementary question. Why was an additional meeting not held between the minister's representatives and the city council when it was promised on 14 December by his representatives and when it was requested by city council representatives by letter on 23 January, some five or six weeks prior to the final decision being announced by the minister?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Police, Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning) (14:54): A development application was lodged, and that will still stand, because it was under the existing—

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: They asked for a meeting.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: We could have had a meeting but, if we had not taken speedy action, there could have been other applications under the old development plan which would have undermined the intent of the new master plan. I was not prepared to let that happen.

I believe I acted entirely properly in preventing that from happening, and it is now up to the Mount Gambier council—concurrent with the process I have put in place, an interim holding—to incorporate a new development plan for that region which properly reflects, in the northern gateway to Mount Gambier, the intent of the agreed master plan. The council can, and I believe will, do that speedily. It would have been nice, had it been possible, to have met with the council, but the point is that it became clear to me that the whole integrity of the master plan would have been undermined.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Yes; I took the decision and I am quite happy to explain that decision, because I believe it is in the best interests of Mount Gambier as a whole. It will mean that the 12 months of work done by both councils can now be reflected within the new development plan, and I have given Mount Gambier council an undertaking that I will facilitate, as quickly as possible, the incorporation of a new development plan for the northern gateway which reflects the intent of the master plan.