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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 10 Hansard (5 September) . . Page.. 3252 ..

4.

PALM started operations on 1 July 1996. It is a streamlined organisation with three arms - development management, metropolitan planning and land supply, and building services. It is focussed on administering integrated planning, development and building processes.

After careful investigation and trialling, taking the best elements of existing ACT and interstate practices, the Government also introduced on 1 July an integrated Development Application process (the DA) and a single Building Application process (the BA). These are the first embodiments of the serious reforms to which Mr Baxter refers. More combined processes are being devised.

It is difficult to underestimate the time and monetary savings being gained by industry, the community at large and individual Government agencies through the new DA and BA processes. They are not simply new ways of moving paper: they combine a series of separate leasing, design and siting applications, building plan approval, licence and permit applications; the DA and BA processes establish vastly improved methods for staff to work in teams; staff are using computerised information and procedures; they will electronically transfer that material; and will be empowered to give responses within guaranteed timeframes.

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