The NSW Government is publishing State Agency League Tables to monitor and hold the performance of 22 state government agencies, state-owned corporations and electrical supply authorities delivering development in NSW to account.
Council performance on Development Application assessments have been published since July last year and this has resulted in a 10 per cent improvement in performance.
The government is launching a second league table to hold itself accountable on housing delivery and development across NSW.
The tracker has been developed by the Housing Taskforce, a multi-agency group within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, tasked with accelerating the assessment and commencement of housing projects.
The State Agency League Tables will publish data on the number of Concurrences, Integrated development approvals and Referrals (CIRs) for each Government agency over the last six months. It will also measure how many of these groups are meeting their legislated timeframes, with an expectation of meeting that timeframe in 90 per cent of all cases.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said he anticipates the table to see more homes move from approval to commencement.
“We want the planning pipeline from lodgement, to assessment, commencement and completion, to be working as efficiently as possible, because that is what will actually see a family, a downsizer or a young person put a key in the door of their new home.”
Property Council NSW Executive Director Katie Stevenson said the initiative is a step towards greater accountability in the planning system but stressed the need for further reform.
“The release of State Agency League Tables is a positive move towards holding government agencies accountable for unnecessary delays that slow down the delivery of new homes,” Ms Stevenson said.
“For too long, projects have been caught in a bureaucratic bottleneck, with post-approval processes delaying shovel-ready developments. We have been calling for government action on this issue for some time, including in our Budget submission and our mid-term assessment of the Government’s performance.”
The Property Council has consistently advocated for efforts to streamline agency approvals to make the planning system faster, more transparent, and more efficient. In particular, the Council is calling for:
- A review of referral duplication, such as emergency services assessments occurring at both the planning proposal and development application stages.
- Better coordination of agency referrals, so that cases are resolved in a timely manner.
- An overhaul of post-consent processes, recognising that many developments remain stalled even after receiving approval.
- Consideration of a best-practice model, such as the Queensland Government’s State Assessment and Referral Agency, to speed up decision-making.
“The Housing Taskforce has already demonstrated that better coordination between agencies can accelerate housing delivery, and we expect this new measure to drive further improvements,” Ms Stevenson said.
“However, there is more to do. Many approved projects remain stalled due to unnecessary post-consent hurdles. The NSW Government must now turn its focus to clearing these roadblocks by simplifying the design modification process and making sure agencies are adequately resourced to handle an increased volume of applications,” she said.