Labor disbands agency delivering housing targets
In a disgraceful move today, the Labor Government has announced that they are disbanding the very organisation they have tasked with delivering new housing targets and turned their back on the new Western Parkland City of Bradfield.
Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Scott Farlow, says the independent Greater Cities Commission has been tasked with developing new housing targets, yet has been disbanded today and incorporated into the Department of Planning and Environment, along with the Western Parklands City Authority.
“The key benefit of the Greater Cities Commission was that it was an independent agency that worked across layers of Government, State and Local, to address the needs of local communities and outline the aspirations for our cities,” Mr Farlow said.
“Labor’s decision to disband the agency will lead to less independence, a more adversarial approach with Local Government and will undoubtedly delay the Commission’s work on delivering new local housing targets.
“This is a Government that is hell-bent on telling communities to ‘get out of the way’ and they have done that again today with the abolition of the Greater Cities Commission and the Western Parklands City Authority, bringing them under the thumb of the Department of Planning and Environment.”
“The Greater Sydney Commission was formed in 2015 with bi-partisan support and developed into the Greater Cities Commission in 2022, encapsulating the Eastern Harbour City, the Central River City, the Western Parkland City, Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle City, Central Coast City and Illawarra-Shoalhaven City.”
“This commission model has been world leading and was adopted by the formation of the Greater Hobart Committee to guide strategic land use and planning.”
“The abolition of the Western Parkland City Authority raises the question as to whether the Government are committed to the six cities vision and particularly the new Western Parkland City of Bradfield.”
“Without this vision, New South Wales could miss out on the opportunities presented by the new Nancy-Bird Walton Airport and the transformational role it can play,” Mr Farlow said.
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