Corruption Concerns for Minns' Planning Reform Laws
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has confirmed that they were not consulted on the final Planning System Reform Bill currently before the NSW Parliament.
This Bill has been sold as housing reform, but what it really does is winds back environmental protections, applies to all development and hands extraordinary power to the Minister and a new bureaucracy, which is essentially the Planning Secretary, with no independent oversight.
The Government has stated that ICAC helped shape these reforms, but ICAC has confirmed that it was never asked to review or comment on the Bill, which is considered a serious integrity failure.
- ICAC was not consulted on the final Planning System Reform Bill.
- The Bill winds back environmental protections and hands extraordinary power to the Minister.
- There is no independent oversight in the new bureaucracy.
A request has been made to the Planning Minister to explain and release what advice the Government has received.
Author's summary: Corruption concerns raised over planning reform laws.