Court Simon; Parker DavidSIMON COURT (ACT): Thank you Madam Chair. So the Minister has just stated that he doesn't have decision making of the qualifying matters that that is a matter for local councils. And yet once a plan is proposed through the intensification planning process and it's proposed by a hearings panel if a council which represents its community finds that some of the provisions in this plan are unacceptable for whatever reason—whether they be heritage or because it interferes with other values that are recognised in the Resource Management Act—if they refuse to accept all of these measures then that plan will be referred to the Minister to make a decision. So that's where it's going to end up. It's going to end up on the Minister's desk. And as the Minister pointed out in the House the other night he may not always be the Minister. It's been said elsewhere that the Minister for the Environment ends up being the Minister of Everything" and so any changes to resource management law must recognise that actually communities' needs wants values do need to be taken into account. And if there is a community like Mount Albert or on the slopes of Mount Hobson where I grew up it decides that they want their community and their homes and their streets to look a certain way because there are values around volcanic cones—not all of them should be quarried; I just want to clear that up. Some of them actually have fantastic purposes such as water care water reservoirs but you wouldn't know that by looking at them because those pieces of infrastructure have been so well integrated into the cones over the years which means that the cones still have value as—Hon Michael Wood: Hasn't been to Three Kings!SIMON COURT: —Three Kings Mount Hobson. Again a concrete water tank as the Hon Michael Wood points out on top of Three Kings does have an iconic cultural value to many and it's important that communities get to choose which of the values they wish to see incorporated in planning law that affects them. So any planning any plan which is proposed under this bill which ends up on the Minister's desk means that the Minister will have decision making. David Seymour: Yes and why did he say he doesn't?SIMON COURT: So the question is—thank you Mr Seymour. The question is: why did the Minister say that he doesn't have decision making over qualifying matters when ultimately he will? And he no doubt was looking forward to this as the "Minister of Everything" currently Minister for the Environment. Minister?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for the Environment): The discretion that the Minister for the Environment has is limited to the—David Seymour: No role—you said "no role".Hon DAVID PARKER: Well no role in the way in which the member previously put to me. David Seymour: So this is "no role" but he has a role—righto.Hon DAVID PARKER: Take another call if you want to put your question more specifically because I answered it accurately in the first place. In respect of the point that Mr Court has made—[Interruption]—the processes that the council proposes—CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jacqui Dean): Order! Order! Order! Apologies to the Minister. Interjections should be rare and reasonable; an ongoing barrage of comments and questions is not acceptable and members have the opportunity in this committee stage to stand and ask for a call.Hon DAVID PARKER: It's obvious that I've got under the skin of the leader of the ACT Party for answering questions. In respect of the point that Mr Court made the process is that the council proposes a plan that they believe to be in compliance with these laws. An independent hearings panel then considers it. The independent hearings panel will go back to the council and I would expect nine out of 10 times all of it will be approved. Sometimes there will be aspects of it that the council disagrees with. In respect of all of the parts that the council agrees with they automatically come into effect. And in respect of the part that is disagreed with someone has to take a decision on that because there is a disagreement then between the independent hearings panel and the council and at that point that point of disagreement is put to the Minister.In respect of the point made about volcanic view shafts that is a matter that can be taken into account by councils. It effectively flows through the matters of national importance which are carried through by new section 77G in the bill."