Ms O’CONNOR question to MINISTER for INFRASTRUCTURE, Mr VINCENT
Are you able to update the Council on the development application for the section of the South‑east Traffic Solution Project between Cambridge Airport and the Midway Point Causeway? Can you confirm that the development application for that section of the South‑east Traffic Solution has lapsed? Are you able to also update the House on the status of the referral to the Commonwealth, under the EPBC act, given the number of threatened and endangered listed species within the section of vegetation that we are talking about?
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Recognition of Visitors
Madam DEPUTY PRESIDENT – Honourable members, I welcome to the Chamber year 11 and 12 legal studies students from the Fahan School. It is lovely to have you here.
We are in our Question Time. I am not sure how long you have been in the parliament today, but perhaps just this afternoon. Our Question Time is a little bit more orderly than what you might see on television sometimes. We have a lot of respect between members in this House. We try to maintain that. The members will ask questions; the ministers in our House can answer them. If the minister is not in this House, the Leader of Government, Leonie there, will answer on behalf of the minister who is responsible for that portfolio. Now, the Minister for Infrastructure will respond to the question from the member for Hobart.
Welcome, I hope you enjoy your time here.
Members – Hear, hear.
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ANSWER
Madam Deputy President, I want to make sure I am right in my answer. Obviously, it has been a project that has been very close to my heart for the last umpteen years as we have been working through it ‑
Ms O’Connor – Six years.
Mr VINCENT – For me, a lot longer, and for the community down there, nearly 60 years. It is nice to see it progressing, although at a slow pace. The DA has lapsed and the department is working through the issues with that. They were aware of the DA situation, but they are working through the alignment of the road with the golf course and the neighbouring property still and taking advice on that as of a recent meeting with them.
In relation to the EPBC and endangered species, both the fauna and on the waterside as well, that is in the federal EPBC and that is at arm’s length to us here in the state. Although I would like to be able to rush that process, you have to wait until there is DA in the system, or a full plan, for it to kick in, despite the fair bit of toing-and-froing they have done on that over the last few years. So, it has been progressed at the moment. We are hoping that will come out in the next few months. They cannot give us an exact timeline, so we are sort of sitting and waiting. In that time period, both community consultation processes with the causeways at Midway Point and Sorell have been done. I have not seen the feedback from them as of yet.
