VPELA played key role in approvals work

As readers have been advised previously, at the beginning of 2019 the Government commissioned a review into planning and building approvals. Working with our Advisory Board – Bill Kusznirczuk, Kate Roffey and Radley de Silva – and the project team, Better Regulation Victoria completed our final report in December, which has been submitted to the Government.

Overall, the review looked at the root causes for why planning and building approvals have become so complex and time consuming and, in many cases, less effective than they should be. We explored options to improve the efficiency of the approvals processes without undermining regulatory effectiveness.

During the course of our consultation, we received over 100 submissions and held meetings and workshops with key stakeholders such as local councils, referral authorities, regulators and planning professionals and experts.

VPELA members were closely involved in consultations before and after our Discussion Paper was released. Overall, there was strong support from stakeholders for the proposals contained therein and a lot of good suggestions were made in consultations about how better outcomes and faster approvals could be achieved. The final report contains many recommendations about changing practices and systems across the approvals spectrum from strategic and statutory planning to the postpermit stage and finally building approvals.

Many of the factors which contribute to delays and unnecessary costs have been identified in the past. And there are many examples of local councils and other decision-makers along the approvals chain improving their operations in terms of approvals times. What is needed is to turn ‘best practice’ into ‘common practice’.

Economic modelling undertaken by consultants to the review suggests that the economic cost of avoidable delays could be in the order of between $400 million and $600 million per year – or about 2% of the annual output of the construction sector. The impacts of reducing delays all along the approvals chain is therefore likely to be very significant.

As the Government responds to the COVID-19 emergency, it is considering further opportunities to support the construction industry going forward and BRV’s final report is part of that consideration.

I look forward to updating VPELA about the implementation of the final report in your next edition.

Anna

Cronin,

Commissioner for Better Regulation

Copies of the Discussion paper and some background material are available on the BRV website –https://www.vic.gov.au/planning-and-building-approvalsprocess-review