❓ Mr. Healy asks about the impact of the Cook Labor government's planning reforms on housing supply and who opposes them. The Minister responds by outlining the reforms, their progress, and criticizes the Nationals' and Liberals' positions.
AnsweredQoN 374Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HOUSING — SUPPLY
374. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Minister for Planning:
I acknowledge the student leaders of
Southern River College, my former school, who are joining us.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
nation-leading, common sense planning reforms, which are now in effect.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how these reforms are providing an acceleration
to the delivery of more housing supply?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who opposes these
important reforms?
374. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Minister for Planning:
I acknowledge the student leaders of
Southern River College, my former school, who are joining us.
I refer to the Cook Labor government's
nation-leading, common sense planning reforms, which are now in effect.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how these reforms are providing an acceleration
to the delivery of more housing supply?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who opposes these
important reforms?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for his question. Yes, I can indicate who is opposing our
planning reforms. As everyone knows, there has been a national cabinet on
housing and planning. Every state, whatever colour it is, is pursuing planning
reforms, for the simple reason that we have to do everything we can to remove the barriers to accelerate the delivery of housing
in Australia and Western Australia, and Western Australia is leading the
country. Our reforms came in on 1 March and they are having a real effect. We
have a new significant development pathway, with consolidation into three
development assessment panels, creating streamlined approvals. As at 2 May, 35
development applications, as part of all our reforms, have been approved
through the part 17 significant development pathway, with a total of $4.33 billion.
Our DAP reforms, started under the previous
planning minister, are also seeing processing times going in a downward
trend, so the median timeframe for DAP assessments that require public
advertising is 93 days. More reforms are coming. On 1 July, the reforms to the Western
Australian Planning Commission will come into effect, with expertise for
strategic planning. A critical reform is that approval for single homes will no
longer be decided by elected officials but by planning staff to streamline that
process. It is likely that will save two to three months in the approval of
single homes. That is our agenda—clear, ongoing—to boost
housing supply.
Let
us look at the other side. The Nationals WA has announced its position; that
is, it is going to make it harder to approve workers'
accommodation and housing for small and medium builders. It will lift
thresholds and reform the DAP system so that it will go into being just a stagnant
process. That is what members of the Nationals have embraced, even though the
member for Roe has complained about local governments holding up housing
developments. And the Liberal Party—I wish I could tell members an
exact position! Quite frankly, it is all over the place. I quote the Leader of
the Liberal Party, who said —
We need to ensure there is
independence at the development level of decision-making, and that is why the Liberal–National government
introduced the development assessment panels. We need to ensure
developers can deliver an affordable product and have efficient systems to work
within.
That sounds great. She says that at
all the housing forums, yet every Liberal candidate campaigning out there is
saying something completely opposite. The Liberal candidate for Nedlands said
that one of the key shared Liberal values is the decentralisation of local
decisions being made at a local level. This is a critical one. He said that
development should stay in the hands of local authorities wherever possible.
That is totally contradicting the Liberal leader. We see it everywhere. This is
a Liberal leader who is being undermined at
every opportunity by Liberal candidates who are contradicting what she says.
But I note this . Even the Liberal
leader cannot really give a clear policy or resolution. She went to the Urban
Development Institute of Australia retreat and I heard that it did not
go too well. She was very nervous and could not commit to anything. I want to
make this point.
On one hand, the Leader of the
Liberal Party is out there saying that she will cut green tape—even
though we are already doing it—but on the other hand she will impose
more red tape in the planning system. Therefore,
she will give with one hand and take with the other. It is very clear that on
this side of the house we are driving reform to accelerate housing
delivery, and, on that side, we have a Liberal leader —
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
Mr J.N. CAREY : — who
is getting agitated.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr J.N. CAREY : It is
interesting that we have a Liberal leader who is all over the place and is
getting very agitated. Does the member want
to interrupt me further? She is getting very upset. Let us be very clear that
we have a Liberal leader who says that she will cut green tape, yet, on
the other side, the person right next to her and all her candidates are arguing
for more red tape by handing power back to local government. Right there is an
example of weak leadership.
thank the member for his question. Yes, I can indicate who is opposing our
planning reforms. As everyone knows, there has been a national cabinet on
housing and planning. Every state, whatever colour it is, is pursuing planning
reforms, for the simple reason that we have to do everything we can to remove the barriers to accelerate the delivery of housing
in Australia and Western Australia, and Western Australia is leading the
country. Our reforms came in on 1 March and they are having a real effect. We
have a new significant development pathway, with consolidation into three
development assessment panels, creating streamlined approvals. As at 2 May, 35
development applications, as part of all our reforms, have been approved
through the part 17 significant development pathway, with a total of $4.33 billion.
Our DAP reforms, started under the previous
planning minister, are also seeing processing times going in a downward
trend, so the median timeframe for DAP assessments that require public
advertising is 93 days. More reforms are coming. On 1 July, the reforms to the Western
Australian Planning Commission will come into effect, with expertise for
strategic planning. A critical reform is that approval for single homes will no
longer be decided by elected officials but by planning staff to streamline that
process. It is likely that will save two to three months in the approval of
single homes. That is our agenda—clear, ongoing—to boost
housing supply.
Let
us look at the other side. The Nationals WA has announced its position; that
is, it is going to make it harder to approve workers'
accommodation and housing for small and medium builders. It will lift
thresholds and reform the DAP system so that it will go into being just a stagnant
process. That is what members of the Nationals have embraced, even though the
member for Roe has complained about local governments holding up housing
developments. And the Liberal Party—I wish I could tell members an
exact position! Quite frankly, it is all over the place. I quote the Leader of
the Liberal Party, who said —
We need to ensure there is
independence at the development level of decision-making, and that is why the Liberal–National government
introduced the development assessment panels. We need to ensure
developers can deliver an affordable product and have efficient systems to work
within.
That sounds great. She says that at
all the housing forums, yet every Liberal candidate campaigning out there is
saying something completely opposite. The Liberal candidate for Nedlands said
that one of the key shared Liberal values is the decentralisation of local
decisions being made at a local level. This is a critical one. He said that
development should stay in the hands of local authorities wherever possible.
That is totally contradicting the Liberal leader. We see it everywhere. This is
a Liberal leader who is being undermined at
every opportunity by Liberal candidates who are contradicting what she says.
But I note this . Even the Liberal
leader cannot really give a clear policy or resolution. She went to the Urban
Development Institute of Australia retreat and I heard that it did not
go too well. She was very nervous and could not commit to anything. I want to
make this point.
On one hand, the Leader of the
Liberal Party is out there saying that she will cut green tape—even
though we are already doing it—but on the other hand she will impose
more red tape in the planning system. Therefore,
she will give with one hand and take with the other. It is very clear that on
this side of the house we are driving reform to accelerate housing
delivery, and, on that side, we have a Liberal leader —
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
Mr J.N. CAREY : — who
is getting agitated.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr J.N. CAREY : It is
interesting that we have a Liberal leader who is all over the place and is
getting very agitated. Does the member want
to interrupt me further? She is getting very upset. Let us be very clear that
we have a Liberal leader who says that she will cut green tape, yet, on
the other side, the person right next to her and all her candidates are arguing
for more red tape by handing power back to local government. Right there is an
example of weak leadership.
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