25 February 2008
Property developers today released a three point plan to restore public confidence in the planning system.
The peak property developer organisation, Urban Taskforce, said the industry had been shocked by the allegations aired in the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
The behaviour alleged in the ICAC hearings is repulsive.
We congratulate the ICAC for holding this inquiry.
We urge them to take the toughest possible action against anyone who has done the wrong thing.
This inquiry has shaken public confidence in the way local councils handle major developments.
Wholesale reforms are needed to restore the communitys faith in the system.
We want the community to be able to trust the planning system again.
The Urban Taskforce advocates a three point reform plan:
1. There must be a complete national ban on all political donations from anyone.
The business community is currently caught between a rock and a hard place, Mr Gadiel said.
On one hand, there is a traditional expectation that business will support the great charitable, political and community causes of the day.
On the other hand, individual businesses may face claims of exerting undue influence if they dare to financially back a political party.
Every time a donation is made, a developer, a miner, an environmentalist, a trade union, a small businessperson, a farmer or anyone else, can have their reputations tarnished. However, if they all stopped donating tomorrow, our political system would collapse.
Without funds, political parties would lack the resources to present their message to the public directly.
A ban on political donations has to be complete.
It should not single out any section of society for special treatment.
A ban of this kind will, once and for all, remove any perception of favouritism in all areas of government decision-making, including tender processes, licensing, approvals and board appointments.
Taxpayers must be prepared to fully fund the political system as part of this reform.
2. Large development applications should not be handled by councils instead the final decision should be made by panels dominated by independent experts.
Most major urban developments are in the $5 million to $30 million range, Mr Gadiel said.
These larger developments need to be taken out of the hands of suburban and regional councils and instead given to regional panels.
The majority of each panel will be made up of independent experts.
These panels will inject a lot more rigour into decision making and strengthen community confidence in the planning system.
3. All development applications should be given a clear YES or a clear NO within 90 days.
The current delays in the planning system mean major developments routinely take nine months or more to get approved, Mr Gadiel said.
Applicants are often left with no choice but to lobby: just to get a clear ˜yes or ˜no answer.
Mr Gadiel said that the arguments in favour of development and urban renewal carry weight irrespective of any political donations.
Sydneys population is anticipated to grow by 1.1 million people by 2031.
This means Sydney needs 640,000 new homes and 500,000 more jobs, 7,500 hectares of extra industrial land, 6.8 million square metres of additional commercial floor space and four million square metres of additional retail space.
Even if we have zero population growth over that time we would still require 190,000 new homes in Sydney to respond to demographic changes where fewer people are living in each home.
NSW needs developers to keep building.
The Urban Taskforce is a property development industry group, representing Australias most prominent property developers and equity financiers.
The NSW development industrys annual turnover is $35 billion and employs 180,000 people, accounting for six percent of the States total employment.
It is the fifth largest contributor to the State economy.
Media Enquires:
Aaron Gadiel,
Chief Executive Officer,
Phone: 0417 477 904 or (02) 9238 3955
