TCPA Bulletin Volume 4 Number 4 August 1997

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Environmental Defenders Office

In response to a letter from TCPA, the office of the Attorney General replied in part as follows:

"EDOs will continue to be funded at the current levels as part of the Commonwealth Community Environmental Legal Program. EDOs will continue operating as independent providers of advice on environmental legal matters. Commonwealth funding will continue to support these important matters."

Landata

In answer to our letter to the Minister for Conservation and Land Management, Marie Tehan, regarding access to land titles data, the Land Titles Office wrote in part:

"A tender process currently being considered by Government relates to the automation of the paper-based land titles Register, the sale of the LANDATA business, and the sale of a licence for remote access rights to land titles data. The Government will retain ownership of all land titles data.

...title search services will continue to be provided in the Land Titles Office on payment of the statutory fee.

The transfer of Land Act sets out the legislative requirements for statutory fees for services provided by the Land Titles Office, and fees are subject to scrutiny by a Parliamentary Committee. There is no likelihood that these arrangements will change in the foreseeable future and there are no plans to change access or pricing arrangements for data available to customers through the Survey Plan Information Centre or through the Central Plan Office."

Merri Creek

The TCPA committee has decided to support the Friends of Merri Creek in their campaign to protect native grasslands from development, in particular the proposed F2 Freeway to divert the Hume Highway off Sydney Road between Craigieburn and Mahoney's Road.

Charter for Planning

The Charter Working Group met on 23rd July to consider the submissions received during the review period. A revised Charter was prepared and subsequently adopted at the August committee meeting. A plan for the promulgation of the Charter was also adopted by the committee. Initially, the Charter will be sent to all participants at last year's Planning Crisis Conference. It will then be sent to those non-government organisations and community groups which took part in its drafting. Next will be selected local governments, then local government peak bodies, such as MAV and VLGA. Members who feel they may be able to persuade their local council to adopt the charter should contact Dr Miles Lewis.