Page 4771 - Week 13 - Thursday, 28 November 2019
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The information gathered through the consultation showed three key areas for reform: first, updating governance and management frameworks for new and existing developments; second, reviewing administrative procedures for all units plans; and third, changing planning and design requirements to better support units plan developments. Finding solutions to address these three key areas has been the focus to improving unit living in all units plans.
We have considered a range of approaches to address these matters, including information campaigns, a pilot project, and a full-scale legislative review package. Several other jurisdictions have undertaken similar reform exercises in a variety of ways, such as New South Wales whose recent amendments to their strata legislation took approximately four years to complete. In comparison, WA conducted a full review of their strata legislation, taking 10 years to achieve the introduction of completely new legislation.
The ACT has had the benefit of learning from these jurisdictions both in the approach to their reforms as well as the effectiveness of the reforms. It has also provided the opportunity to use some of the solutions which will fit best with the needs of the ACT, such as decision-making processes and meeting requirements.
The interaction of these reforms with other relevant reform projects also points to the need to assess the most effective method of delivery so that these initiatives work collaboratively. These include a range of potential measures involving actions such as variations to relevant Territory Plan codes, variations to the Building Code under the Building Act, and interaction with the full ACT planning review as well as with other projects currently underway. Ongoing review of the administration and development assessment practices is also essential to the reform process.
In order to achieve reforms in the most timely and practical manner and to permit full coordination with other relevant projects, we will be delivering legislative change in two stages. Stage 1, which is the focus of the bill, involves practical legislative amendments that can be achieved in the short term to address discrete, self-contained practical solutions.
Stage 2 will then review more substantial changes and provide the additional time needed to conduct further analysis to support the viability and efficacy of more complex amendments. This will facilitate the implementation of more immediate solutions in the first stage while allowing further in-depth examination of more complex matters to occur for implementation in stage 2.
With today’s introduction of the Unit Titles Legislation Amendment Bill 2019, stage 1 reforms are being realised with implementation to occur in the first half of 2020. We will also be consulting on stage 2 reforms throughout next year with a view to the commencement of further legislation in 2022.
The phased approach addresses the concerns of owners, residents, occupiers and developers by acting quickly on the simpler reforms while also progressing longer term issues to streamline the legislation governing unit developments.
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