Mr BURKE - 1995-02-22
I refer the minister to the situation in Palmerston where land is at a premium and in great demand by a rapidly growing population. Given the minister's announcement last year in relation to the go-ahead for parts of the proposed Bakewell and Rosebery suburbs, has any interest been shown in the development of those areas?
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question because Palmerston is coming to be a thriving growth area with considerable activity in land. I recall debates in this Assembly over the last 2 years and the opposition's serious concern that somehow the government would run out of land for development in and around Darwin and Palmerston and that people would be unable to obtain blocks of land. It was the usual saga. The world was about to fall about our ears, the sky would collapse on our heads, people would starve in the streets and all manner of other calamities were about to flow from the fact that the government had not released land and was not planning on land release for Darwin.
The fact is that there has never been a land shortage. On the one hand, the department and I have been monitoring quite carefully the housing market, housing and land availability and the demand for land to ensure that there is an adequate and timely supply of land. On the other hand, we are avoiding what has occurred in the past in terms of flooding the market because that has the potential to destroy the market. With the developing of land for release, the price of the land must cover the cost of putting in place the power, water and sewerage services and the roads. If the price is too low, the land will not be prepared and readily available.
Mr Ede: Don't you know anything about economics?
Mr HATTON: The Leader of the Opposition can carry on as much as he likes about it ...
Mr Ede: That is only if you create a demand.
Mr HATTON: Ask the developers in Australia. Certainly, in the Northern Territory ...
Mr Ede: They would like to generate some economic rent.
Mr HATTON: It reminds me of the member for Barkly. Together with the Tennant Creek Town Council, she asked for some land to be given away. The people in Tennant Creek had apoplexy because prices fell. You can buy an existing 3-bedroom house and land for $40 000 or $50 000! No one would be able to build a house for that.
I talk to the people who have to work in the field, not politicians who want to grab the occasional headline, and we are working closely. In respect of what has occurred at Palmerston, I am sure the honourable member would recall the statement I made in the Assembly last year relating to how long it could take under the federal legislation for a native title claim to be heard and determined. Honourable members agreed that the process appeared, at least on paper, to be time-consuming and, at times, very unwieldy.
Members would also recall my announcement in August in relation to sections of Bakewell and Rosebery. The government found itself in an invidious position regarding its intention to release the whole of Rosebery for private housing development. A native title claim was probable and, given all the implications, the government could not take the risk in relation to validity of title. Subsequently, 6 major lots have been examined or are about to be
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examined by the national Native Title Tribunal. An application over lot 4312, Town of Palmerston, was lodged in April 1994 and accepted in May 1994. The inquiry was heard in November, but no determination has yet been made. That relates to a road reserve declared in 1987 that was never built into a road It happens to go through the middle of the CBD of Palmerston.
Applications over lots 2886 and 2887 were lodged in April, accepted in May and dismissed in October, but a new claimant application was accepted subsequently. Those relate to south Rosebery. Applications over lots 2888, 2889, 2890 were lodged in June 1994, accepted in July and dismissed in October, but are subject to mediation which is under way this week. I anticipate a further mediation round in late March. That is also part of the Rosebery area. Lot 4533 is also subject to mediation. That relates to the proposed suburb of Bellamack.
We have a problem. Palmerston is screaming out for more land, but the area we had earmarked for the next development was likely to be held up by native title claims. The solution was at hand. Further research found that the north-west section of Rosebery and south-west section of Bakewell had had freehold titles previously. Thus, according to legal advice, native title in those areas has been extinguished. We moved to plan B. My announcement relating to these 2 sections and the government's plan to proceed with work to turn off blocks in those sections excited much interest from developers. Applications for 4 lease areas were invited in November last year and 5 applications were received by the closing date of 5 December 1994.
A departmental assessment panel met and made a report on the full details of the applications and the criteria for assessment of the applications. It made recommendations for the granting of the 4 development leases. The successful applicants were Henry and Walker SBS, Paradise Developments, Advance Civil Engineering and Powetina. Of the 4, 3 are locally based while Paradise Developments is an Adelaide-based company. The total land area covered by the leases is about 153.3 ha and should produce about 400 housing lots. This is in addition to the land that was made available to the Defence Housing Authority which, over the balance of this decade, should produce some 1400 house lots in Palmerston. Extensions to the second 9 holes for the Palmerston golf course should provide a Northlakes-type golf course development.
There is land available and the new subdivision will be of interest principally to new home owners. That land is expected to come on the market in the second half of this year which is totally in line with the targets that I advised to the Assembly last year. Members opposite can settle down. We are on top of the housing issue and this is a clear demonstration that we are doing it in a rational and responsible manner.
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Page 430
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question because Palmerston is coming to be a thriving growth area with considerable activity in land. I recall debates in this Assembly over the last 2 years and the opposition's serious concern that somehow the government would run out of land for development in and around Darwin and Palmerston and that people would be unable to obtain blocks of land. It was the usual saga. The world was about to fall about our ears, the sky would collapse on our heads, people would starve in the streets and all manner of other calamities were about to flow from the fact that the government had not released land and was not planning on land release for Darwin.
The fact is that there has never been a land shortage. On the one hand, the department and I have been monitoring quite carefully the housing market, housing and land availability and the demand for land to ensure that there is an adequate and timely supply of land. On the other hand, we are avoiding what has occurred in the past in terms of flooding the market because that has the potential to destroy the market. With the developing of land for release, the price of the land must cover the cost of putting in place the power, water and sewerage services and the roads. If the price is too low, the land will not be prepared and readily available.
Mr Ede: Don't you know anything about economics?
Mr HATTON: The Leader of the Opposition can carry on as much as he likes about it ...
Mr Ede: That is only if you create a demand.
Mr HATTON: Ask the developers in Australia. Certainly, in the Northern Territory ...
Mr Ede: They would like to generate some economic rent.
Mr HATTON: It reminds me of the member for Barkly. Together with the Tennant Creek Town Council, she asked for some land to be given away. The people in Tennant Creek had apoplexy because prices fell. You can buy an existing 3-bedroom house and land for $40 000 or $50 000! No one would be able to build a house for that.
I talk to the people who have to work in the field, not politicians who want to grab the occasional headline, and we are working closely. In respect of what has occurred at Palmerston, I am sure the honourable member would recall the statement I made in the Assembly last year relating to how long it could take under the federal legislation for a native title claim to be heard and determined. Honourable members agreed that the process appeared, at least on paper, to be time-consuming and, at times, very unwieldy.
Members would also recall my announcement in August in relation to sections of Bakewell and Rosebery. The government found itself in an invidious position regarding its intention to release the whole of Rosebery for private housing development. A native title claim was probable and, given all the implications, the government could not take the risk in relation to validity of title. Subsequently, 6 major lots have been examined or are about to be
Page 431
examined by the national Native Title Tribunal. An application over lot 4312, Town of Palmerston, was lodged in April 1994 and accepted in May 1994. The inquiry was heard in November, but no determination has yet been made. That relates to a road reserve declared in 1987 that was never built into a road It happens to go through the middle of the CBD of Palmerston.
Applications over lots 2886 and 2887 were lodged in April, accepted in May and dismissed in October, but a new claimant application was accepted subsequently. Those relate to south Rosebery. Applications over lots 2888, 2889, 2890 were lodged in June 1994, accepted in July and dismissed in October, but are subject to mediation which is under way this week. I anticipate a further mediation round in late March. That is also part of the Rosebery area. Lot 4533 is also subject to mediation. That relates to the proposed suburb of Bellamack.
We have a problem. Palmerston is screaming out for more land, but the area we had earmarked for the next development was likely to be held up by native title claims. The solution was at hand. Further research found that the north-west section of Rosebery and south-west section of Bakewell had had freehold titles previously. Thus, according to legal advice, native title in those areas has been extinguished. We moved to plan B. My announcement relating to these 2 sections and the government's plan to proceed with work to turn off blocks in those sections excited much interest from developers. Applications for 4 lease areas were invited in November last year and 5 applications were received by the closing date of 5 December 1994.
A departmental assessment panel met and made a report on the full details of the applications and the criteria for assessment of the applications. It made recommendations for the granting of the 4 development leases. The successful applicants were Henry and Walker SBS, Paradise Developments, Advance Civil Engineering and Powetina. Of the 4, 3 are locally based while Paradise Developments is an Adelaide-based company. The total land area covered by the leases is about 153.3 ha and should produce about 400 housing lots. This is in addition to the land that was made available to the Defence Housing Authority which, over the balance of this decade, should produce some 1400 house lots in Palmerston. Extensions to the second 9 holes for the Palmerston golf course should provide a Northlakes-type golf course development.
There is land available and the new subdivision will be of interest principally to new home owners. That land is expected to come on the market in the second half of this year which is totally in line with the targets that I advised to the Assembly last year. Members opposite can settle down. We are on top of the housing issue and this is a clear demonstration that we are doing it in a rational and responsible manner.
Page 432
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016