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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 9 Hansard (23 November) . . Page.. 2572 ..

But what do we do once we've got a strategic plan? Where do we go with it, and how does it fit within the structures of our planning and land management system? The Mant/Collins review addresses that concern by suggesting that planning in the Territory comprises four functions:

1. Whole of Government strategic planning;

2. The establishment, via the Territory Plan, of development control 'rules' (a policy-making function);

3. administration of the development controls established in the Territory Plan (an arbitral function); and

4. 'Place management' (the co-ordination of Government actions and decisions impacting on specific localities within the ACT).

These are functions in which, arguably, the involvement of the political process would become more transparent and obvious, not subtle and indistinguishable.

Under these recommendations, the management of a long-term strategic plan would be the responsibility of the Chief Minister's Department. A very small number of staff would co-ordinate the development and management of that plan.

The Government would, of course, maintain the responsibility for formulating the rules associated with development. Those policies and rules, the Territory Plan, would be still be the property of the Assembly and always subject to review by the Assembly.

Under these proposals, the most significant change would come about with a restructuring of the ACT Planning Authority, to make it a genuinely independent statutory authority. It would have a small staff and a genuinely independent arbitral function. The Authority would have the responsibility to grant approvals or to not approve applications on its own. If the development meets the rules, the Authority may complete the approval at arms length from the political process.

But, to aid in creating a truly transparent planning process, the Executive or the Assembly, perhaps through the Planning and Environment Committee, would have the power to 'call in' any application. Those applications, which would be ones of major importance, would be subject to assessment within the appropriate processes, such as preliminary assessment and environmental impact.

Then, when an application is called in, everyone knows that it's been the subject of political consideration by Government or the Assembly, instead of the approach which exists now, where, frankly, doubt exists about the independence of the process from politics. It will prevent the Planning Authority's decisions being coloured by politics - rather, politicians can wear making the political decisions and not duck it to the planners.

The Authority would consist of a very small staff, primarily the decision-makers and a small group of support staff. But the assessments would be done by staff with a variety of special skills working in the Department of Urban Services, whose job it will be to develop place management in the ACT.

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