Executive Summary
The VLGA holds the view that the planning system in the State of Victoria is not fundamentally broken, although significant reforms are required if it is to become more effective and efficient. Many of the reforms with the most impact will not be changes to the structures of the planning system itself, but changes to the way it is supported including its effective integration with other complementary Acts, to enable it to work as it should.
Given the range of cost-of-living pressures facing Victorians (such as housing and mortgage stress, rising utility, food and transport costs, and health burdens), the VLGA is confident that there is little community support for a grand experiment in deregulation of Victoria‟s planning system.
If we accept that the primary purpose of land use planning is to sustain people and communities, a 'hands-off' approach seems anathema to addressing the well documented challenges we face regarding our natural and built environment, in complex social and economic circumstances. We believe that communities are growing increasingly impatient about the lack of leadership to address these well-documented challenges.
On the other hand, we believe that communities will reward governments who are willing to lead in a collaborative process to restore their faith in Victoria‟s planning system and its interaction with their everyday lives.
The VLGA therefore submits that future actions likely to restore faith in Victoria‟s planning system, and to deliver more sustainable communities, should deliver community confidence; a comprehensive and congruent approach to strategic planning; and clarity and consistency.
To read more of this submission, please download the document below.