❓ Mr. Whitby asks about planning reforms to support small businesses recovering from COVID-19, particularly in Baldivis. The Minister outlines comprehensive reforms to streamline processes, reduce costs, and facilitate private sector investment, aiming to boost the WA economy.
AnsweredQoN 324Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PLANNING REFORMS
324. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Minister for Planning:
I refer to the work being undertaken
by the McGowan government to drive Western Australia's post COVID-19
economic recovery, including through its proposed major reforms to the state's
planning system. Can the minister outline to the house how these reforms will
support small businesses as they recover from COVID-19, and, in particular, can the minister advise the house how
these reforms will cut red tape and streamline the planning processes for those businesses, particularly those in the electorate of Baldivis?
324. Mr R.R. WHITBY to the Minister for Planning:
I refer to the work being undertaken
by the McGowan government to drive Western Australia's post COVID-19
economic recovery, including through its proposed major reforms to the state's
planning system. Can the minister outline to the house how these reforms will
support small businesses as they recover from COVID-19, and, in particular, can the minister advise the house how
these reforms will cut red tape and streamline the planning processes for those businesses, particularly those in the electorate of Baldivis?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Baldivis for
his question and his support for cutting red tape and supporting small business
in Western Australia. As the Premier outlined, today we announced a wideranging
set of reforms to our planning system. It basically covers major projects down
to shade sails. It is a comprehensive set of reforms and it goes in a number of
parts. The Premier has outlined major developments having a much more
streamlined process to support major investment in Western Australia.
Before question time, we heard the
member for Cottesloe say that we do not need any more buildings because there
are empty shops, discounting the construction sector from our economic
recovery. That is not what I would call very strong economic long-term thinking
for the state. What we need to do over the next year or two years is build infrastructure and support private sector
investment, because we know that we have the opportunity to develop more
tourism projects for Western Australia. For example, regional WA would be a real
focus. We have the ability to support short
to medium-term jobs for long-term private investment that will help attract
people back to WA when it is deemed safe to do so. This is about not
only the short term, but also the long term. We look forward to the Liberal
Party supporting the bill and working with the private sector to really make
sure we can develop good projects around Western Australia.
Of
course, it will support small business. As I said, we will make it easier for
change of use. Again, we know that at this time small businesses have to change
and adapt, and we are going to make it easier for them to do so. There are
significant costs in relation to cash in lieu for car bays. That is something
the member for Perth, in particular, is quite passionate about. Small
businesses face these sorts of challenges every day. A few months ago, I was
presented with the case of a business that wanted to make a change of use from
office to consulting rooms. The council was going to charge the business $73 000
cash in lieu for the car bays. That project never happened, even though council
officers had recommended not applying that charge. That change of use never
happened, the office is still empty and the tradespeople who could have had
that job do not have that work. We are faced with these types of examples all
the time. We need to make it consistent across the state, too, so we do not
have something on one side of the street that is different from something on
the other side of the street. That will be fundamental in trying to get our
tradespeople back at work. That is one example that I know about, but imagine
that magnified across Western Australia.
In relation to home additions, we
are going to make it easier to get those underway. There will still be building
approvals, but, really, we want to make sure that we remove the planning
approval requirements. We will work to widen the criteria to exempt more types
of additions from needing planning approval and widen the criteria on single
residential homes so that they do not require planning approval.
There is a whole range of measures
to support the Western Australian economy. I was proud today to introduce such
significant reforms for WA. This is about facilitating investment. This is
basic microeconomic reform. It is cutting
red and green tape. It is everything that people have been calling for and it
is here today. As I said, government cannot build everything in this
state and it never has. We have a record number of contracts in the transport
portfolio, but let us facilitate private sector investment. Let us get some
exciting new projects that will employ people now and create new projects for Western
Australians and the world to enjoy in years to come.
his question and his support for cutting red tape and supporting small business
in Western Australia. As the Premier outlined, today we announced a wideranging
set of reforms to our planning system. It basically covers major projects down
to shade sails. It is a comprehensive set of reforms and it goes in a number of
parts. The Premier has outlined major developments having a much more
streamlined process to support major investment in Western Australia.
Before question time, we heard the
member for Cottesloe say that we do not need any more buildings because there
are empty shops, discounting the construction sector from our economic
recovery. That is not what I would call very strong economic long-term thinking
for the state. What we need to do over the next year or two years is build infrastructure and support private sector
investment, because we know that we have the opportunity to develop more
tourism projects for Western Australia. For example, regional WA would be a real
focus. We have the ability to support short
to medium-term jobs for long-term private investment that will help attract
people back to WA when it is deemed safe to do so. This is about not
only the short term, but also the long term. We look forward to the Liberal
Party supporting the bill and working with the private sector to really make
sure we can develop good projects around Western Australia.
Of
course, it will support small business. As I said, we will make it easier for
change of use. Again, we know that at this time small businesses have to change
and adapt, and we are going to make it easier for them to do so. There are
significant costs in relation to cash in lieu for car bays. That is something
the member for Perth, in particular, is quite passionate about. Small
businesses face these sorts of challenges every day. A few months ago, I was
presented with the case of a business that wanted to make a change of use from
office to consulting rooms. The council was going to charge the business $73 000
cash in lieu for the car bays. That project never happened, even though council
officers had recommended not applying that charge. That change of use never
happened, the office is still empty and the tradespeople who could have had
that job do not have that work. We are faced with these types of examples all
the time. We need to make it consistent across the state, too, so we do not
have something on one side of the street that is different from something on
the other side of the street. That will be fundamental in trying to get our
tradespeople back at work. That is one example that I know about, but imagine
that magnified across Western Australia.
In relation to home additions, we
are going to make it easier to get those underway. There will still be building
approvals, but, really, we want to make sure that we remove the planning
approval requirements. We will work to widen the criteria to exempt more types
of additions from needing planning approval and widen the criteria on single
residential homes so that they do not require planning approval.
There is a whole range of measures
to support the Western Australian economy. I was proud today to introduce such
significant reforms for WA. This is about facilitating investment. This is
basic microeconomic reform. It is cutting
red and green tape. It is everything that people have been calling for and it
is here today. As I said, government cannot build everything in this
state and it never has. We have a record number of contracts in the transport
portfolio, but let us facilitate private sector investment. Let us get some
exciting new projects that will employ people now and create new projects for Western
Australians and the world to enjoy in years to come.
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