Rau's Planning Bill is flawed

Let me start by saying that the Planning System needed reform. However Rau's Planning Bill is lacking in detail and due consideration for it's negative impact on planing decisions and the people it will affect. From a Local Government's perspective there are serious concerns on how it will be implemented and at what cost to Councils. Insufficient detail is provided which suggests that this is policy on the run. Cost shifting from the States to Local Government has vastly increased over the term of this current State Government. LG has had to cover the shortfall for bad government policy and this Planning Bill ranks high on the scale of concern.

The language used is loose in its interpretation without confirming the processes involved and how the changes will affect what is in place already. In fact it is ambiguous in many parts and fails miserably to deliver a comprehensive outline of the changes. The devil is in the detail and there is not enough of this to be able to accept this as a clear and well thought out document. The following very simplistically represents our greatest concerns at the moment:

? Local Elected Members would have been prohibited from sitting on panels assessing development applications if Rau had had his way. Luckily this week there has been a win for the people. If this had not been knocked out in Parliament it would have meant removing the voice of local communities affected by proposed developments. Local knowledge and vested interests in the community’s well-being would have been lost to independents who most probably would not have been local residents;

? There will be an overall reduced role for Councils in planning and development, leading to a lack of appropriate and area specific developmental requirements;

? Fewer activities will require planning approval and Councils will have substantially reduced revenue from development applications;

? Councils will face increased costs through having to contribute to State programs, such as the new Planning Portal, and will have little or no control over the quality of specific infrastructure that they will be required to fund. The increased opportunity for cost-shifting from State to Local Government will place a huge burden on available revenues, causing many already stretched Councils to the brink of ruin. It will cause an erosion of what is now a responsive and area specific response from Local Councils for their community’s needs;

? Councils will be encouraged to amalgamate their planning functions with other Councils in their region, and those that don’t comply will have plans enforced on them by the Minister;

? Council “Development Plans” will be phased out and replaced with a new “Planning & Design Code” with more standardised provisions, limiting area specific requirements;

? There will be reduced avenues for residents to comment on or challenge inappropriate developments directly affecting them and their enjoyment of their neighbourhoods and communities.

There are not many redeeming features of the Bill and the proposed changes sought will in turn create more problems than they hope to solve. Centralisation and a one size fits all approach is a recipe for disaster, lacking in the necessary considerations for the most important role of Government; and that is representing the needs of its people and their quality of life.