Page 1267 - Week 04 - Thursday, 7 April 2016
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We support initiatives that lead to better clarity for the community on proposed development projects …
It also means that communities are better informed to give constructive input.
Draft territory plan variations can be abstract in nature, so by allowing development applications to be lodged at the same time, this will give communities a better understanding of what’s happening and remove speculation …
Constructive community input on proposed developments, faster project delivery, and less red tape—these are improvements that the Property Council supports.
It is good to see that. Not only does it deal with applications as I have discussed; it also deals with other applications in the territory plan.
I would like to briefly go to the rationale behind progressing the bill. As any member of the community, industry or government knows, the term “red tape” is used daily. But what is actually meant by the term? On one hand, community and industry can view red tape as a creature of government, seeing it as the excessive regulation of or rigid conformity to formal rules that they feel are redundant or bureaucratic that hinder or prevent action or decision-making. On the other hand, the same community and industry members expect governments to protect them through the use of regulation. A careful balancing act is required from government to balance these opposing views.
This bill demonstrates this government’s continued focus on regulatory improvement, ensuring that the scope and complexity of regulation do not become overly burdensome but still perform the vital role of a regulatory environment. This government is on record as having a firm commitment to reducing red tape, and this bill follows on from the work that this government has been doing throughout its term.
As I travel around the ACT now, I see cranes in the sky—three down in Tuggeranong this morning, a healthy indication of the confidence of the building and construction sector in the ACT and this government. The health of the sector is further evidenced by the urban renewal works that are happening along the Northbourne corridor and across the new suburbs of Coombs, Wright, Throsby and Moncrieff.
It is not some idle boast on the government’s part. The evidence is in the statistics. They show that for the financial year to date the number of leases issued through the Land Development Agency is 778 compared to 416 for the whole of the 2014-15 financial year. Development approvals also indicate a healthy building and construction sector, with $539.1 million worth of DAs being assessed during February alone.
However, planning is not a static creature. By its very nature, it must consider the future. The city and gateway urban renewal strategy seeks to promote an integrated and community supported vision for the Northbourne corridor right into the heart of
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