Red tape is “pernicious, frustrating, costly – and is growing all the time,” says Cressida Wall, the Property Council’s Victorian executive director.
That’s why moves by the Victorian Government to look at ways of cutting red tape and eliminating unnecessary planning delays have been warmly welcomed by the property industry.
Victoria’s red tape commissioner, Anna Cronin, has issued a discussion paper which identifies 27 points in the approvals chain where specific short and medium-term improvements can be made. The initial recommendations have been welcomed by the Property Council.
“The complexity of the planning system and the many bottlenecks in the approvals process has, for too long, impacted housing affordability in this state,” Wall says.
“The simple fact that the discussion paper has identified 27 points in the approvals chain where improvements can be made is clear evidence of the need to reform the planning system.”
The cost of planning red tape has been estimated at between $400 to $600 million a year, or up to two per cent of the value of the construction sector.
Cutting red tape could improve housing affordability and reduce delays and costs – essential improvements which are needed for the state which boasts Australia’s fastest growing population.
According to Wall, the “best thing” about the review’s recommendations was its focus on systemic reform to “provide the support and frameworks for those working in the planning area to actually implement changes that will make a difference”.
Wall commended the government for its approach to the red tape review.
“They’ve looked into something which is really complicated, have listened to the industry experts and got right down into the technical detail to make some practical changes.
“Having got this far through the diligent and red tape-free approach by Anna Cronin and her team, what we’d like to see now is the recommendations implemented swiftly and in full,” Wall concludes.
A copy of the planning and building process review discussion paper is available online. The Property Council will be making a formal submission, with the final review report to be presented to the Victorian Government in December.