Your views: more on planning
CAROL BAILEY: I was shocked at your recent headlines, Marshall to lobby for more migrants and Rau wants councillors out of planning (InDaily, 30 September 2013).
It appears the government will go to any extreme to get what it wants. Yet there’s been no public consultation on any of this. Why?
I would have thought 1,000,000 new humans on the planet every four days would prompt thoughts on food/water security, not this response.
There has been fast tracking of the Urban Renewal Bill through Parliament, the Capital City DPAs, increasing the number and breadth of legislation to expedite urban infill and multi-storey development, not to mention thousands of acres more rezoning of food producing land for residential development. And now important functions of council representing its communities are sought to be dismantled and handed over to other agencies of State Government.
People are concerned about the involvement of Expert Panel Chief Brian Hayes QC in over-turning an Adelaide City Council DAP decision against multi-storey development on South Terrace. Public consultation sessions had led the public to believe this panel and its members were independent and impartial. Last week Minister Koutsantonis (DPTI) approved development for Alano Water of a raw sewage storage and treatment works for 30,000 people south of Kanmantoo in the Mt. Barker council area. Under Section 49 of the Ac, the local council was not consulted or informed and there is no right of appeal. Again, no public consultation. Tiny town Callington’s joy at the site being changed is tempered with knowledge of another bad planning process.
Contempt for local Councils is obvious. What’s not clear is whether by-passing the level of Government closest to the people is the first step in removing councils altogether. Our communities deserve and need to be fairly represented at the local level, using local knowledge and power to elect.
CAROL FAULKNER: Another day, another short-sighted politician being pressured by developers into believing South Australia needs population growth. This time it’s the L-plate leader of the Opposition Steven Marshall (Marshall to lobby for more migrants, 30 September 2013).
Hasn’t the penny dropped? There’s one reason alone why the development industry keeps pushing this barrow – more migrants, more consumers, more profits. They’re lobbying purely out of self interest and sucking the less discerning politicians right in.
A true statesman would look at the debate from every angle and determine what is best for South Australia’s long term social, economic and environmental sustainability. With innovation and the will to meet the challenges of the 21st century, we can survive and prosper with a stable population.
If that’s too hard to contemplate, then focus on SA’s youth unemployment rate which shadow treasurer Iain Evans said recently had blown out to 41.6 per cent. How about training our young people to fill skill shortages instead of bringing in more competition for jobs?
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