The approaching storm about to engulf the NSW North Coast

 

When NSW Labor was swept from power 18 months ago, no issue symbolised the community’s frustration more than a notorious law known as Part 3A.

Part 3A gave the state government the power to remove decision-making on "significant" proposals from local councils and hand it to the minister, who could either make a decision or appoint an expert panels. Around NSW, community groups found that controversial developments were removed from their local councils……

Eventually, the NSW Minister for Planning Brad Hazzard appointed Tim Moore — an ex-minister for planning in a former Liberal government and former judge of the Land and Environment Court — and lawyer Ron Dyer to conduct a review.

Their review was expected to be the basis for a green paper, which was subsequently published in June. After a further consultation period, a white paper and draft legislation will be released later this year. When passed, this bill is expected to become the new planning legal framework, replacing the 1979 act, which was passed after the Green Ban period but has been constantly amended since.

The Moore/Dyer review found the key objective of planning reform should be to "provide an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable framework". But when the green paper appeared, this and many other recommendations had disappeared. Now the first objective was "economic development and competitiveness". The underlying philosophy was now pro-growth and pro-developer.

Community groups which had welcomed the solid consultation process of the review now found that the paper proposed less rights for community consultation than now exist. Under the new regime, communites would be engaged in forming broad regional plans, but once guidelines were in place they would not be consulted on developments in their local neighbourhoods.

Developers, on the other hand, could apply for rezonings, even if these did not fit with regional guidelines. If council decisions went against developers they could appeal to non-elected Regional Planning Boards that may include developer representatives. There would also be more opportunity in the new system for checking off proposals against a list of criteria, using certificates supplied by developer consultants.  [New Matilda 19 October 2012]

 

Rapacious land developers and real estate agents are about to be given carte blanche by the O’Farrell Government and, it is hard to see the situation ending well for coastal communities in particular when this pivitol recommendation set out below is apparently being rejected.

 

The Hon Tim Moore and The Hon Ron Dyer (May 2012) Recommendations of the Independent Review of the NSW Planning System:

 

A new legislative framework

The reforms need to be set out in a new legislative framework – one founded on three new

Acts of Parliament:

• a Sustainable Planning Act – to establish the framework for a reformed

planning system

• a Planning Commission Act – to establish the composition, powers and functions of

an independent Planning Commission

• a Spatial Information Act – to facilitate a ‘whole of government’ approach to

the application of information technology to spatial data (and not confined to

planning information).

The principal new legislation – the Sustainable Planning Act – will contain the major

elements of the reformed framework. It will be in a plain English, narrative form. Technical

aspects will be in schedules to the Act or in regulations (separate ones for different topics).

Although foreshadowed in this Volume, the discussion of and detailed recommendations for the proposed Planning Commission Act and proposed Spatial Information Act will be set out in Volume 2.

The Sustainable Planning Act will have a single overarching object:

The object of this Act is to provide an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable

framework for land use planning and for development proposal assessment and

determination together with the necessary ancillary legislative provisions to support

this framework.

The Act is structured to set out the elements necessary for this broad object and to

provide more detailed objects relevant to the planning processes.

• Independent Review Paper - Volume 1 - Major Issues (2.8mb)
• Independent Review Paper - Volume 2 - Other Issues (1.47mb)

The current O’Farrell-Stoner-Hazzard plan encapsulated:

individuals and markets are best placed to deliver diverse choices, vibrant communities and strong and sustainable economies

• A New Planning System for NSW - Green Paper (4.4mb)  

It should be noted that at least one of the NSW National Party MPs representing the North Coast, Chris Gualptis, is a former land developer.

Yamba developer grows wordy

 

Not content with having his West Yamba subdivision passed by Clarence Valley Council on a vote of 8 to 1 at the 16 October 2012 ordinary monthly meeting, Yamba land and property developer David Mitchell quickly fired off a letter to the editor accusing Cr. McKenna of having flipped flopped and asserting; The question needs to be answered as to what or who changed Cr McKenna's mind over the last week?

The Daily Examiner published his needless rant on 18 October.

Is the rather arrogant Mr. Mitchell signaling that he will only accept an unconditional 100 per cent vote from councillors in future?
 

Update:

Apparently David Mitchell may have to look in the mirror when asking what or who changed Cr McKenna's mind.

A letter in reply from Cr. Margaret McKenna, published on 20 October, reveals that an email he sent her before the committee meeting caused her to later ask for staff comment on its contents and she; took their answer into my further deliberations for the council meeting.

The words hoist and petard come to mind.

Mitt Romney: the shot heard round the world

Arrggh! I shot my foots! cries Mitt Romney after he said this:

“And – and so we – we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. I went to a number of women's groups and said: "Can you help us find folks," and they brought us whole binders full of women.”

So now Teh Netz has Binders Full of Women (tumblr), Binders Full of Women (Facebook) and #bindersfullofwomen (Twitter)

And in Oz.....
Greg Jericho ‏@GrogsGamut

Wonder if Abbott will give the "binders full of women" line a go in his next censure motion? 

Now the NSW Speaker becomes involved in Cansdell-gate

 

Rumours have been circulating on the NSW North Coast that there are more revelations to come in the matter of the O’Farrell Government, North Coast Nationals and disgraced former state government MP Steve Cansdell - this media report would seem to be the first of these.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald 18 October 2012:

ALLEGATIONS that the former NSW MP Steve Cansdell rorted a staff allowance to benefit a Nationals colleague were referred by corruption authorities to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly a year ago but not investigated.

The allegations, similar to those over which the former Labor MP Karyn Paluzzano was convicted last month, were made to the Independent Commission Against Corruption by Mr Cansdell's former staff member Kath Palmer.

Ms Palmer alleged Mr Cansdell, who was the member for Clarence and parliamentary secretary for police, abused a staff allowance by requiring her to work on the 2010 federal election campaign of the Nationals candidate for Page, Kevin Hogan…..

Ms Palmer also said Mr Cansdell submitted claims for the allowance that differed from the days she worked.

The ICAC referred the allegations to the Speaker, Shelley Hancock, Ms Palmer's employer, last November. But Ms Hancock, who is also the Liberal MP for South Coast, did not pursue the matter.

''I considered material conveyed to me from ICAC, noting that they had not taken any action in respect of the allegations,'' Ms Hancock told the Herald. ''On the basis of the nature of the material, it was concluded at the time that it was not appropriate for this matter to be pursued since verification of the material would be difficult.''

Following inquiries by the Herald, Ms Hancock has asked parliamentary officers to review the material, which is understood to include Ms Palmer's work diaries and claim forms.

The decision to review the material could pose difficulties for Mr Hogan, who has been preselected to contest Page for the Nationals at next year's federal election.

The revelation adds to questions surrounding the handling of allegations against Mr Cansdell, who resigned from state Parliament in September last year after admitting to falsifying a statutory declaration to keep his driver's licence.

Mr Cansdell admitted to falsifying a statutory declaration to say Ms Palmer was driving his car when it was caught speeding in 2005……

Mitt 'n' Tony sitting in a tree....

The Political Bobbsy Twins- America's Romney & Australia's Tony Abbott

Sound familiar?

“It has dawned on Mitt Romney that he has a problem with female voters. He just has no idea what to do about it, since it is the result of his positions on abortion, contraception, health services and many other issues. On Tuesday night, he bumbled his way through a cringe-inducing attempt to graft what he thinks should be 2012 talking points onto his 1952 sensibility.” {New York Times 17^th October 2012}

Alan Jones to be retrained and his radio broadcasts monitored and fact-checked by 2GB

The Australian Communications and Media Authority media release, 18 October 2012:

2GB acts to fix accuracy and present significant viewpoints

Harbour Radio Pty Ltd, the licensee of Sydney radio station 2GB, has agreed to overhaul its processes to ensure reasonable efforts are made to verify facts and present significant viewpoints in its current affairs programs.
2GB conducted a review of its compliance processes following ACMA investigations which found breaches of the Commercial Radio Codes of Practice. The breaches occurred during segments of programs presented by Alan Jones broadcast on 15 March 2011 [2597, 2614 & 2636 - PDF 565 kb] (accuracy) and on 8 and 11 February 2010 [2540 - DOC 1.1 mb] (accuracy and presentation of significant viewpoints).
The review found that 2GB had some fact-checking and verification procedures in place. However, it also highlighted shortcomings in programs hosted by Alan Jones, namely:

• Additional confirmation of accuracy and attribution may be required where the production team (and Alan Jones) source factual material from third parties or other non-media sources.
• The editorial pieces, the subject of the ACMA investigations, did not involve the wider production team.
• There are occasions when a controversial issue of public importance will be the subject of editorial and opinion comment on programs hosted by Alan Jones without any presentation of other significant viewpoints on any other 2GB current affairs program.

To address these issues, 2GB has proposed a series of measures which the ACMA has accepted. A summary of those measures is set out below.
2GB has also improved its electronic complaints system and recently appointed a new program director to oversee its processes following complaints-handling breaches in programs broadcast on 29 and 30 June 2011 and 6, 11 and 12 July 2011 [2674 & 2717 - PDF 205 kb].

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Emma Rossi, Media Manager, (02) 9334 7719 and 0434 652 063 or media@acma.gov.au.

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Attachment

Summary of 2GB agreed measures–accuracy and presentation of significant viewpoints

New measures applying to programs hosted by Alan Jones Pre-broadcast fact-checking by the program’s executive producer of any material provided by non-media sources or third parties which may require additional confirmation and attribution. Creation and retention (for at least six weeks) of records of the verification material sourced by the executive producer for the facts contained in the editorial piece. Identification by the executive producer of controversial issues of public importance that are not covered by other 2GB current affairs programs. Communication of these exceptions to 2GB’s program director who will then be responsible to ensure that another current affairs program presents an alternative, significant viewpoint to that presented in the program hosted by Alan Jones so that 2GB can discharge its obligations under the Commercial Radio Codes of Practice. Creation and retention of records by the program director for the above steps.

New measures applying to all news and current affairs programs The program director will conduct random checks of daily broadcasts for each of the programs and will record the details of the controversial issues of public importance canvassed in the program. The program director will also record the reasonable efforts made/opportunities that have been given by the relevant programs to present significant alternative viewpoints. Training will be conducted (including with Alan Jones) focussing on the ACMA’s findings concerning factual accuracy and significant viewpoints. The training will be completed by the end of November 2012.