I move:
That the period for reporting back to the Joint Committee on Building Land be extended to 31st December, 1984.
Joint Committee on Building Land Report: Motion.
As a member of that committee I should like to second the motion. The reasons are obvious and I agree with that interpretation.
Because it is such an important item, I supported the request by the committee to be able to look for professional expertise in examining the whole question of control of the price of building land. This brief report gives the background to why the committee feel it necessary to extend until next December the time scale for compiling the report. That is a full year longer than the original remit. The Labour Party in particular and the Acting Leader of the House know this and have been most anxious for the report and, indeed, the whole area of the control of building land to be advanced. It is quite a long further extension and it is doubling the life of this committee.
It would be helpful if the Acting Leader of the House who is a member of that committee and knows more than is contained in this brief report could give us some idea of the programme of work which requires a further period until next December and if he could give us a real guarantee and assurance at this stage so that there will be no necessity for further delay on the matter. It is one of the most urgent economical and social problems facing us, particularly facing those who want to see a greater programme of housing and better use of our land for development in the urban areas. It is something which has been regarded for a considerable time as one of the greatest areas of inequity and inequality and social injustice and it has taken us a long time to get this committee under way. I would be very sorry indeed if the subject matter began to drift and was further postponed. I would welcome some assurance on that.
I share the concern expressed by Senator Robinson about the length of time that the moving of this motion requests, but it is really a safeguard because the committee intend to have it completed — now that we have cleared some of the problems about advice available to us and other matters arising out of our work — and reported much earlier than the time suggested. It is just to avoid the possibility of coming back again at a further date looking for another short extension that all parties on the committee were unanimous that we would look for a proper time so that we would not feel constrained by a short period if we are to do justice to the problem before us. When this House was planning for an extension previously we were unaware that certain advice we had asked for was not available, which put the matter beyond the control of the committee. It will probably not be delayed for long and I assure Senator Robinson that I am trying to ensure that this committee complete their important work and will report to this House as soon as possible and certainly long before the date mentioned.
Question put and agreed to.