Page 4890 - Week 13 - Thursday, 2 November 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
ministers is achieved through a legislative statement of expectation for the City Renewal Authority and a similar administrative direction for the Suburban Land Agency. There is the requirement for the responsible minister to present a quarterly report on land acquisitions that occurred in the previous quarter, including any valuations for the land. There is the requirement for the government to issue its own direction setting conditions on the acquisition of land by either the authority or the agency. The Suburban Land Agency exercises specific functions only with the approval of the responsible minister.
In relation to the City Renewal Authority, the government’s statement of expectation commenced on 8 August 2017 and the authority’s statement of operational intent was approved by the Chief Minister and commenced on 27 October 2017. Having both of these instruments as notifiable instruments and publicly available on the legislation register provides openness and transparency as the City Renewal Authority implements its program of works.
As the Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, I wrote to the Suburban Land Agency informing it of the government’s expectations for it as it delivers new suburbs and revitalises established suburbs, including in relation to the operation and performance of the board based on the principles of accountability, transparency and participation. How the Suburban Land Agency meets these expectations will be included in its statement of intent under the Financial Management Act 1996.
The boards of each entity have now been appointed, and have established audit and risk committees as required by the act. This process was conducted transparently and with full engagement with the Standing Committee on Planning and Urban Renewal. Chief executive officer recruitment processes have concluded and the new appointees bring expertise and experience from outside the ACT public sector.
As part of the administrative arrangements that came into effect on 1 July 2017, a number of land development policy and governance functions were moved into the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate. These arrangements reinforce the government’s commitment to the governance oversight of the two new entities, and ensure a clear delineation between the policy and delivery arms of land development.
The new arrangements provide a single point of access for industry and the community to understand and engage with the government on matters related to the planning and development of the city and suburban centres. This work will embed a strong governance and quality improvement culture across the directorate, the City Renewal Authority and the Suburban Land Agency.
Further, a portfolio project governance committee with executive representation from the directorate, the City Renewal Authority and the Suburban Land Agency is overseeing the ongoing program of governance activities. Key areas of focus include consolidating governance systems and frameworks for performance monitoring, risk management and compliance assurance; adapting project management governance to the new environment, including standardising frameworks, methodologies and monitoring systems; standardising document control and records management,
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video