Page 3049 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 22 August 2017
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It is also essential that the new suburbs that we design and create are being built in a way that will stand the test of time for members of our community and our city as a whole. The built form needs to promote the vibrancy and lifestyles that we want: good health and livable communities that are well connected and innovative. Developments need to consider all aspects of our planning system, such as climate change adaptation, integrated transport options and recreational and environmental requirements. To do this, we must always be engaging in different ways to reach the views of those who count—the Canberra community.
The agency’s work will be guided by government and community expectations. In part these expectations are reflected within the legislative framework, which ensures that they are exercisable, with approval of the minister. The board will reflect these expectations in its acknowledgement response and in framing its first statement of intent under the Financial Management Act 1996. The board, through its statement of intent, is required to develop the ACT’s suburban space to ensure that people are at the centre of its planning and development decisions.
Members will recall that, as part of the government’s commitment to strengthening the governance arrangements for the territory’s land entities, important work was commenced prior to 1 July 2017 to redesign and re-establish robust governance practices. This work will continue as a key priority. This work includes the central procurement of valuations through the sales and marketing team within the Suburban Land Agency to ensure a consistent approach and provide quality assurance for instructions to valuers; a whole-of-government policy on commercial engagements, with former ACT public service executives to manage any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest arising from engaging former ACT public service executives in commercial activity with the territory; the centralisation of requests for legal advice in order to improve transparency and ensure that the chief executive officer for the agency is aware of all requests and can monitor responses; training and education sessions for staff on sourcing valuations and instructing valuers, fraud and ethics, records management, financial delegations, and procurement; and guidance for staff on the land acquisition policy framework.
In establishing the new agency, governance will be further strengthened through a number of activities. These will be developed in collaboration with the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, which has a key role in oversighting and monitoring the agency’s activities and providing advice on financial and non-financial performance and governance to the agency itself. These activities will ensure that the Suburban Land Agency meets its compliance and accountability requirements while effectively and efficiently delivering the government’s suburban renewal and land development agenda.
Specific initiatives include the development of governance systems and frameworks for performance monitoring, risk management and compliance assurance; project management governance, including standardised frameworks, methodologies and monitoring systems; document control and records management, including the rollout of an electronic document and records management system, standardised document
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