2 December 2008

Next chapter in the data centre site selection saga

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The ABC reports that a special taskforce has come back saying the current proposed site for the data centre is the best.

The report is going to cabinet for a government decision. I would have thought in this new-look ‘cooperative’ Assembly that there would have been some open, transparent and consultative discussion before making a decision. I wonder which other sites they considered – I would like to see that report. Will it be released or held back as cabinet-in-confidence?

According to the ABC, our CM says “Interestingly … what it has revealed through a very detailed and quite objective approach to assessing the benefits and the merits of different sites, given the Government advice that the existing site is the best that’s been able to be identified.”

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If you get the print version of the CT you’ll find that the Greens have had a confidential briefing for the data centre report. The Libs were supposed to get a briefing but didn’t – apparantly because Stanhope hadn’t been given a full briefing yet.

What? Does that mean the Greens were briefed before the illustrious leader?

Anyone who voted Greens for some independence from the ALP, and a hope for transparent government should be concerned. The litmus test was always going to be whether reports like this were made available beyond the parties to the agreement (ie the Libs).

On another note – a rival data centre has been approved to go ahead in Mitchell. It’s strange how things without the ACTEW albatross just go ahead legally and quietly.

Kramer. It’s a power station with a data centre as a kind of afterthought to justify it – a two birds scheme. It is govt spin to continue to call it a data centre, as data centres are benign of themselves and there are plenty already about.

ergo, a power station should be on industrial land away from any residents.

Why is that site ‘the best’? On what criteria?

Surely even Stanhope can see that a large slice of the electorate don’t want it there and his ‘partners’ the Greens don’t want it there either. In fact it seems that nobody except he and the consortium want it there.

If it was put in an industrial zone all this drama would go away. Why the fixation on this site??

I find it interesting that ‘the best’ site isn’t zoned for industrial or commercial development!!!

IF this is the only suitable site int eh entire ACT for an industrial building, does this mean after this one there will never be another industrial thing built – seeing as there will be no suitable sites available ever again after this site is used up.

I wouldn’t consider the data centre (now sans powerplant) an industrial facility. There are other data centres scattered throughout Canberra, some with noisy, dirty diesel engines to provide backup power. So what’s the problem now? Just a severe case of the nimbys.

The fixation on that bit of land is extremely suss. I think everyone in the ACT ‘smells a rat’ now. It reeks of political underhand dealing, and promises made that should not have been made – which are now a serious liability (both politically and compo-wise) for the govt.

If it does get built there, it will be over the Greens’ and Libs’ and dead bodies (metaphorically and electorally speaking). So hopefully the ‘taskforce’ – whoever that may be? ACT govt bureaucrats who can be leaned on? – has found some properly zoned land suitable for heavy industry (and not more broadacre/reserve to piss off another lot of residents) to move it to.

Why are they so fixated on that spot? It’s quite weird. Why can’t they move an industrial facility into an industrial area ie across the road to Hume?

I prefer to think Canberra development is run by ACTPLA, in spite of the CM, to irritate developers and residents.

‘Best’ – for whom? Not Canberrans, only the consortium. Fair dinkum this town is run by developers in cahoots with the CM. I am SO sick and tired of it.

Jonathon Reynolds9:37 am 02 Dec 08

through a very detailed and quite objective approach

I know that approach well. You pin a map to the wall and throw darts at it…

Do we really need more evidence that Little Jonny thinks himself above us lowly constituents?

The infantile pedant in me just wants to criticise the stupid wording of “the best that’s been able to be identified”, as if the site itself was the active agent in its own identification, and all other sites were incapable of causing themselves to be identified…

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