06 May 2010

The more that is invested in new, well-planned transport infrastructure, the easier it will be for Sydney to respond to the growth challenge it faces.

26 March 2010

If the Department keeps heading in its current direction, the best we can hope for is that the whole Standard Instrument process will merely be a waste of time. On the other hand, under the current policy settings, it seems more likely that the Standard Instrument will be used to increase and entrench the micro-regulation of land use across NSW. This was never the original intention.

08 March 2010

The M5 corridor expansion is important to meeting our transport demands, particularly for South Western Sydney.

03 March 2010

Its crucial that any powers given to the Sydney Metropolitan Development Authority do not create incentives for the authority to nationalise land in order to rezone, make profits, and sell the land back to the private sector.

03 March 2010

The latest version of the bill contains provisions that will weaken property rights and increase investment uncertainty. Amendments to the bill can rectify these issues, without compromising on the governments public policy objectives.

11 February 2010

We hope this process will lead the Commonwealth to now exempt development in Sydneys growth centres from further assessment and review under the Commonwealths Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act.

09 February 2010

Clause 6.4 allows the development consent process to be fragmented, so that there are effectively two different consent authorities. Furthermore, the decision-makers in the conventional development assessment process, even joint regional planning panel members, or Land and Environment Court commissioners, will be prohibited for approving a development to the maximum capacity of a site, unless they have the separate approval of the new Public Benefit Design Panel. The Public Benefit Design Panels decisions to refuse approval will not be appealable. A Court Commissioner or joint regional planning panel will not have the power to override the Public Benefit Design Panel. The panel will be appointed by local politicians (councillors) and therefore will lack independence from the highly charged atmosphere of Ku-ring-gai council local politics.

05 February 2010

Any attempt to impose a connection to the national broadban network on all new development will give a planning/consent authority enormous power to block a development if some (potentially) very expensive arrangements are not put in place.

01 February 2010

The Ku-ring-gai plan is not fair and reasonable. The plan's excessive levies will result in reduced urban renewal.

17 January 2010

A truck could be driven through the loopholes in the NSW Governments ban on property developer political donations. Its surprising that estate agents, lawyers, accountants, publicans and builders who do a little bit of property development on the side will still be free to donate to political parties. In any event, the new law is an unreasonable violation of the civil rights of directors, shareholders, officers and beneficiaries and an unjust restriction on the rights of their industry organisations. We advocate a complete national blanket ban on political party donations from anyone.