A parliamentary question regarding land releases in the Great Southern and Wheatbelt regions, and the Minister's response outlining existing strategies and potential future actions.

AnsweredQoN 573Legislative Assembly
Asked
31 August 2006
Portfolio
Planning and Infrastructure

QuestionView source ↗

LAND RELEASES - GREAT SOUTHERN AND WHEATBELT
I refer to the minister’s announcement on 20 August 2006 regarding the fast-tracking of land releases. Given that the minister is funding a new $1.3 million package for five senior planners in the metropolitan area and Peel and a release coordinator in the south west, which is good - (1) Does the minister acknowledge the significant demand for residential - not industrial - land releases in the great southern and the wheatbelt? (2) Will the minister consider either appointing dedicated senior planning positions to these regions to speed up land releases, given that approval has been given for such a position in Geraldton, or at least reallocating existing staff to provide additional resources and strategic planning matters in the great southern and the wheatbelt? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN

AnswerView source ↗

(1)-(2) The government has a number of strategies in place for those areas. This week I have been discussing with the Director General of the Department for Planning and Infrastructure the possibility of providing another senior planning position in the great southern. In the interim, through the Great Southern Development Commission, we have appointed a person who will further coordinate government agencies to address those issues. A team has been put together, through the Great Southern Development Commission, and I am sure that will work well. I know that the member for Albany has a lot of confidence in John Tomlinson, who has been appointed to do that. There is a town site development program for the wheatbelt. We are working through those areas where the government can assist local government to release land as and when it is required. One of the problems in much of the wheatbelt is that it is not economically viable to deliver the services because the cost of providing the services cannot be retrieved from the land sales. In those situations we must have a transparent community service obligation directed to those town sites. We have prioritised the town site development programs and have made decisions through the cabinet regional standing committee. When a need for land release is demonstrated, the committee will consider it. We are looking at ways to expand that program. It has been doing very well and a great many projects have commenced.
(1) Does the minister acknowledge the significant demand for residential - not industrial - land releases in the great southern and the wheatbelt? (2) Will the minister consider either appointing dedicated senior planning positions to these regions to speed up land releases, given that approval has been given for such a position in Geraldton, or at least reallocating existing staff to provide additional resources and strategic planning matters in the great southern and the wheatbelt? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) The government has a number of strategies in place for those areas. This week I have been discussing with the Director General of the Department for Planning and Infrastructure the possibility of providing another senior planning position in the great southern. In the interim, through the Great Southern Development Commission, we have appointed a person who will further coordinate government agencies to address those issues. A team has been put together, through the Great Southern Development Commission, and I am sure that will work well. I know that the member for Albany has a lot of confidence in John Tomlinson, who has been appointed to do that. There is a town site development program for the wheatbelt. We are working through those areas where the government can assist local government to release land as and when it is required. One of the problems in much of the wheatbelt is that it is not economically viable to deliver the services because the cost of providing the services cannot be retrieved from the land sales. In those situations we must have a transparent community service obligation directed to those town sites. We have prioritised the town site development programs and have made decisions through the cabinet regional standing committee. When a need for land release is demonstrated, the committee will consider it. We are looking at ways to expand that program. It has been doing very well and a great many projects have commenced.
(2) Will the minister consider either appointing dedicated senior planning positions to these regions to speed up land releases, given that approval has been given for such a position in Geraldton, or at least reallocating existing staff to provide additional resources and strategic planning matters in the great southern and the wheatbelt? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) The government has a number of strategies in place for those areas. This week I have been discussing with the Director General of the Department for Planning and Infrastructure the possibility of providing another senior planning position in the great southern. In the interim, through the Great Southern Development Commission, we have appointed a person who will further coordinate government agencies to address those issues. A team has been put together, through the Great Southern Development Commission, and I am sure that will work well. I know that the member for Albany has a lot of confidence in John Tomlinson, who has been appointed to do that. There is a town site development program for the wheatbelt. We are working through those areas where the government can assist local government to release land as and when it is required. One of the problems in much of the wheatbelt is that it is not economically viable to deliver the services because the cost of providing the services cannot be retrieved from the land sales. In those situations we must have a transparent community service obligation directed to those town sites. We have prioritised the town site development programs and have made decisions through the cabinet regional standing committee. When a need for land release is demonstrated, the committee will consider it. We are looking at ways to expand that program. It has been doing very well and a great many projects have commenced.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(2) The government has a number of strategies in place for those areas. This week I have been discussing with the Director General of the Department for Planning and Infrastructure the possibility of providing another senior planning position in the great southern. In the interim, through the Great Southern Development Commission, we have appointed a person who will further coordinate government agencies to address those issues. A team has been put together, through the Great Southern Development Commission, and I am sure that will work well. I know that the member for Albany has a lot of confidence in John Tomlinson, who has been appointed to do that. There is a town site development program for the wheatbelt. We are working through those areas where the government can assist local government to release land as and when it is required. One of the problems in much of the wheatbelt is that it is not economically viable to deliver the services because the cost of providing the services cannot be retrieved from the land sales. In those situations we must have a transparent community service obligation directed to those town sites. We have prioritised the town site development programs and have made decisions through the cabinet regional standing committee. When a need for land release is demonstrated, the committee will consider it. We are looking at ways to expand that program. It has been doing very well and a great many projects have commenced.
(1)-(2) The government has a number of strategies in place for those areas. This week I have been discussing with the Director General of the Department for Planning and Infrastructure the possibility of providing another senior planning position in the great southern. In the interim, through the Great Southern Development Commission, we have appointed a person who will further coordinate government agencies to address those issues. A team has been put together, through the Great Southern Development Commission, and I am sure that will work well. I know that the member for Albany has a lot of confidence in John Tomlinson, who has been appointed to do that. There is a town site development program for the wheatbelt. We are working through those areas where the government can assist local government to release land as and when it is required. One of the problems in much of the wheatbelt is that it is not economically viable to deliver the services because the cost of providing the services cannot be retrieved from the land sales. In those situations we must have a transparent community service obligation directed to those town sites. We have prioritised the town site development programs and have made decisions through the cabinet regional standing committee. When a need for land release is demonstrated, the committee will consider it. We are looking at ways to expand that program. It has been doing very well and a great many projects have commenced.

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