Planning Ministers commit to keep pace with approvals

A national agreement has been reached to ensure planning approvals maintain their usual pace throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is in an attempt to protect jobs, businesses and the economy.

Planning Ministers from every state and territory along with the President of the Australian Local Government Association and Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge have agreed a set of principals. These principals cover how planning systems should operate during COVID-19.

Mr. Tudge said the impact of the pandemic means swift changes to planning regimes are necessary to ensure development applications can still be approved at their usual place. Other planning regulations will be amended to deal with the twin health and economic crises.

“Changes will be made on a state by state basis, but the principles are designed to ensure the community can still have confidence in our planning systems,” Mr. Tudge said.

“Amendments to our planning systems will ensure that governments and the development community can support the economic recovery effort.”

He said the group has also committed to develop and adopt lessons learnt throughout this time, including the use of technology and other planning process, response to future emergency events, sharing of information between jurisdictions and improvements to planning systems. These initiatives will all be considered for potential ongoing implementation once the country returns to business as usual.

The Ministers agreed to review the principles in June 2020 to ensure they are still fit-for-purpose.

“Ensuring building and construction activity, and other vital sectors of our economy, can continue to operate at as close to normal levels as possible while meeting public and workplace health and safety requirements will ensure our economic slow-down is not as severe, and we can more quickly bounce back,” Mr. Tudge said.

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