Premier apologises to big business after Government runs out of time to debate planning laws
Premier Chris Minns has lashed out after his Government failed to pass their massive changes to the planning system in Parliament last night.
The proposed laws were debated in the NSW Upper House yesterday as part of the ordinary process of Parliament, and the 10pm adjournment of debate paused the debate until sitting weeks in November.
Greens MP Sue Higginson, public interest environmental lawyer & spokesperson for planning public, said:
“Laws are introduced into the Parliament, they are debated and amendments discussed - that’s what happens in our democracy. As part of that debate on these laws, the Greens have been working to get corruption protections, environmental protections and community oversight as part of the Premier’s reforms, just like we were elected to,”
“It’s a bit rich and frankly misleading for the Premier and the Planning Minister to try to blame the Greens for representing the community and the environment while also blaming us for not representing the community and the environment. Which is it?”
“We have tried very hard to work with the Government to make these reforms all about housing, but the Government would not support us to make these reforms actually address residential developments. The fact is the laws will impact every single development across the state, they open the door to corruption and wind back environmental protections like we’ve never seen before,”
“We are raising the concerns that have been put on the table by the Centre for Public Integrity, Lock the Gate, the Environmental Defenders Office, Total Environment Centre, Local Government NSW, Bushfire Protection Association, Australian Institute of Architects, Better Planning Network, Nature Conservation Council, Councils across New South Wales, and so many members of the community,”
“These laws are being pushed through the Parliament as Labor Premier Chris Minns has failed to disclose his meetings with developer lobbyist and former Labor Premier Morris Iemma. Iemma has been lobbying on behalf of the very developers these laws will benefit, so it was very concerning to watch NSW Labor voting against our efforts to insert anti-corruption safeguards in the system.”
“If the Government is a bit better organised, they will pass these laws in November. But as long as there are Greens in the NSW Parliament, we will turn up and do the work we were elected to do. If the Premier has a problem with that, and he would rather simply do the work of property developers, perhaps he has a problem with democracy, ” Ms Higginson said.