❓ Hon Neil Thomson questions the Minister for Planning regarding the removal of directors-general from the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC), focusing on the rationale and implications for addressing the housing crisis. The Minister's response references a long-term review and emphasizes continued advisory roles for directors-general.
AnsweredQoN 1350Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
PLANNING COMMISSION — DIRECTORS-GENERAL
1350. Hon NEIL THOMSON to the minister representing the
Minister for Planning:
I refer to the plan to remove
directors general from the Western Australian Planning Commission as part of
legislative changes.
(1) Did the WAPC
chair seek to have agency bosses removed from the WAPC; and, if not, who
advised the minister on this measure?
(2) Is the
minister aware that agency bosses only attended an average of 2.5 meetings out
of 22 in 2022–23?
(3) Has the minister talked to
cabinet peers about the lack of attendance by agency bosses?
(4) Given that the minister now seeks to remove agency
bosses as voting members from the WAPC, does this mean that the minister
considers them as irrelevant to resolving the housing crisis in Western Australia?
1350. Hon NEIL THOMSON to the minister representing the
Minister for Planning:
I refer to the plan to remove
directors general from the Western Australian Planning Commission as part of
legislative changes.
(1) Did the WAPC
chair seek to have agency bosses removed from the WAPC; and, if not, who
advised the minister on this measure?
(2) Is the
minister aware that agency bosses only attended an average of 2.5 meetings out
of 22 in 2022–23?
(3) Has the minister talked to
cabinet peers about the lack of attendance by agency bosses?
(4) Given that the minister now seeks to remove agency
bosses as voting members from the WAPC, does this mean that the minister
considers them as irrelevant to resolving the housing crisis in Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question. The following response has been provided by the Minister for
Planning.
(1)–(4)
A review of the Western Australian Planning Commission was first identified in
the 2013 Planning makes it happen: Phase two: Planning reform discussion
paper that reviewed the structure and membership of the WAPC and its committees, and the 2019 Action plan for planning
reform: Better planning, better places . The review focused on specific areas identified through stakeholder
consultation and analysis. The outcomes of the review were published in
May 2023 and include a series of recommendations for structural change and operational improvements aimed at achieving a more
efficient, strategically focused and contemporary decision-making body.
Although the directors general will no longer be voting members, they may
continue to attend WAPC meetings and provide advice on relevant matters and
throughout referral and consultation processes.
question. The following response has been provided by the Minister for
Planning.
(1)–(4)
A review of the Western Australian Planning Commission was first identified in
the 2013 Planning makes it happen: Phase two: Planning reform discussion
paper that reviewed the structure and membership of the WAPC and its committees, and the 2019 Action plan for planning
reform: Better planning, better places . The review focused on specific areas identified through stakeholder
consultation and analysis. The outcomes of the review were published in
May 2023 and include a series of recommendations for structural change and operational improvements aimed at achieving a more
efficient, strategically focused and contemporary decision-making body.
Although the directors general will no longer be voting members, they may
continue to attend WAPC meetings and provide advice on relevant matters and
throughout referral and consultation processes.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.