Property Council of Australia has been enthused by the New South Wales Government’s announcement that it will create a ten year NSW State Plan setting out the state’s priorities.
NSW executive director Ken Morrison said it was important to set longer term targets and measure action against them, but that implementation would be the big challenge for government.
“We hope this announcement marks a philosophical shift in the way government goes about its business in this state,” Morrison added.
“We want our politicians thinking beyond the four year electoral cycle and having a State Plan can help to provide this discipline.”
Morrison said the NSW government’s plan is ambitious.
“It essentially means getting to the crux of what sort of place we want NSW to be, and then coordinating actions across all fronts to get there.
“We support this announcement and look forward to participating in the process.”
The Property Council supported the five key themes identified for inclusion – a planning process, respect and responsibility across communities, better Government services, economic prosperity, and a healthy environment.
“The test will be whether the State Plan contains detailed and measurable objectives and strategies and whether these are truly used to guide decision making and are not merely window dressing,” Morrison believes.
The Property Council has long advocated the need for long term land, economic and infrastructure strategies for NSW to guide decision making and send signals to the market.
“Having a plan provides an important signal to stakeholders, including the market, to enable people to work together towards achieving common goals,” he said.
“Successful businesses have clearly articulated long term strategies, so it makes sense for the state to do the same,” concluded.
The NSW State Plan will be developed in consultation with key community stakeholders and be released before the end of 2006.
By Kathryn O’Meara
