Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Planning spokesperson
The Minister for Planning confirmed in parliament today that a large number of public submissions made on the Land Use Planning and Approvals Amendment (Major Projects) Bill are being withheld from scrutiny by legislators. This is despite the fact the Bill is being debated today.
When questioned by the Greens in Parliament, Minister Jaensch seemed unconcerned that 206 submissions have not been uploaded to the Department’s website – including those from Residents Opposed to the Cable Car, and members of the East Coast Alliance who spoke out against the Cambria Green mega-development.
Department of Justice staff confirmed that 1755 people made submissions during the consultation for the controversial Major Projects Bill, but only 1549 of these have been published on the department’s website.
Of the 1549 that have been published, 98% explicitly oppose the Bill. Less than 1% of submissions, just 12, are in support – most from organisations with a vested interest.
Minister Jaensch is ultimately responsible for the management of this legislation.
As it stands, the views of 206 people have been withheld from consideration in the parliamentary debate on this controversial Bill. This is emblematic of the legislation itself.
The Major Projects legislation attacks the fundamental principles of our state’s planning system, and is a recipe for the corrupted fast-tracking of major projects. We will not be supporting the Bill, and we hope the Labor Party will do the same.