Page 2472 - Week 08 - Thursday, 6 August 2015
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MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Dr Bourke): Sit down, Mr Rattenbury. Stop the clocks. Members, interjecting and continuously interrupting the member is disorderly.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, your conversation across the chamber when I am speaking is unhelpful. Continue, Mr Rattenbury.
MR RATTENBURY: Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. Fortunately, the government has since taken on board the notification parts of the bill that was brought forward at the time and there are now improved notification processes. The government’s planning and building legislation amendment bill, or PABLAB, was amended by the Greens to further improve notification requirements as well as the pre-development application community consultation process.
The final bill made the pre-development application consultation process mandatory for larger developments, giving developers and the community an opportunity to work together to improve proposals. It also required signage in advance to notify nearby residents of upcoming building work and improved signage for DAs for lease variations. In May 2012 the Assembly passed amendments to increase public notification for draft variations to the territory plan, deconcessionalisation, and new houses in older suburbs. These amendments were based on the Planning and Development (Public Notification) Amendment Bill introduced by the Greens to the Assembly. The bill improves notification in three key areas. It requires deconcessionalisation proposals to have pre-DA consultation in the same way as major developments, it requires written notification of draft variations to the territory plan to houses within adjoining sections, and it requires proponents of knock down, rebuilds to give written notice and plans to residents of adjoining properties.
The Planning and Development (Territory Plan Variations) Amendment Bill 2013, which the Greens supported, extended consultation times for draft territory plan variations, technical amendments and estate development plans. For full variations, the minimum required time was increased from 15 to 30 working days. For technical variations, the minimum consultation was increased from 15 to 20 working days. For estate development plans in a future urban area the consultation was lengthened from 10 to 20 working days while for non-future urban areas the period was lengthened from 15 to 20 working days. Again, they are practical examples of voting on measures in this place that make it easier and better for the community to be involved in key planning decisions.
Members will also recall legislation I brought forward in this place as a private member’s bill when it came to call-ins and the requirement for pre-DA consultation. As you will recall from the comments I made at that time, the reason I brought that forward was because, again, our experience is that when there is pre-DA consultation generally there are better outcomes because proponents are less locked in and there is less of a sense of the community being railroaded. People have more open and more productive consultations, and our experience of the various episodes and cases we have observed is that pre-DA consultation is a very positive thing for getting better outcomes in the community.
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