Parliamentary Speeches
Draft Far North Coast Regional Strategy ( 11/05/2006)
Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina—Deputy Leader of The Nationals) [5.04 p.m.]: The New South Wales Minister for Planning recently unveiled the Draft Far North Coast Regional Strategy, which encompasses the Ballina electorate. Whilst I support the concept of a far North Coast regional strategy and welcome its arrival, the draft strategy has serious shortcomings. It lacks substance and detail, and the region's infrastructure needs are not addressed. The majority of the vital component plans included in the working draft that added more detail and local content to the strategy have been omitted from the final draft. The draft strategy does little to address the needs of the region's villages, which in so many ways are what give the far North Coast its character. In a rapidly growing region such as the far North Coast it is imperative that we have proper detailed systems and strategies in place to successfully plan for the future of such a diverse and unique area.
Development of the Far North Coast Regional Strategy has been under way for several years. The aim of the strategy is to provide for the projected housing, employment and environmental needs of the region's population over the next 25 years. The New South Wales Government worked with local community members and planning institutions during the development of the draft strategy. Its release was seen as a positive step towards ensuring the continuation of the far North Coast as a diverse and unique area. However, the draft strategy we have been presented with is a far cry from what was expected of this document. First, the region's infrastructure needs_such as water and sewerage_have been ignored. How can we plan for the future of the region without incorporating integral infrastructure needs into that plan? This reflects the New South Wales Labor Government's lack of an integrated plan for the far North Coast and a failure to co-ordinate a whole-of-government approach to this issue, which is important when planning for the future.
It is interesting to note that the former Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Planning has publicly criticised this State's planning system, while at the same time lauding the Queensland Government's South-east Regional Plan. The plan for south-east Queensland is detailed and addresses the infrastructure needs of the region. We need more detail in the Far North Coast Regional Strategy. We need an outline of infrastructure needs such as road and rail to connect the two regions. Secondly, the draft strategy does not include the locally prepared component plans included in the working draft prepared for the Minister. The omitted component plans included the Infrastructure Investment Plan, the Employment and Economic Plan, the Biodiversity Plan, the Water and Energy Conservation Plan, and the Coastline and Waterway Conservation Plan.
These plans added substance and detail to the strategy, and presented practical target figures in areas such as unemployment, labour force participation rate, and water and energy usage. These plans are vitally important to the implementation of the draft strategy, yet they are nowhere to be seen. Thirdly, while the draft regional strategy identifies the far North Coast as a region of villages, it fails to adequately detail how to successfully nurture that concept. Villages allow residents to live in a rural setting, providing for basic infrastructure and a sense of community, whilst also protecting prime agricultural land. The development of villages, in conjunction with well-planned growth in the region's major centres, allows for a choice of lifestyle, with minimal negative impact on social cohesiveness within these centres.
In order for a village to function effectively, there are several baseline services and infrastructure needs. They include a community meeting place, postal services, a basic grocery store, a transport network, open space, a water supply, a waste management system, electricity and telecommunications. Yet the draft strategy fails to address infrastructure needs, which are integral to the functioning of a village. How can we provide for the future of our villages if the most basic infrastructure needs are not accounted for? I am not alone in raising my concerns about the shortcomings of this draft strategy. It has been widely criticised by a range of community members and groups. Following the release of the draft document, a coalition of far North Coast business people, developers, conservation groups and environmentalists placed a public letter to the New South Wales planning Minister in the local newspaper, the Northern Star, highlighting the inadequacies of the draft strategy. I was a signatory.
More recently, more than 160 coastal, residential and environmental groups combined to publicise their concerns about coastal regional strategies including the Draft Far North Coast Regional Strategy. Individuals and groups with differing ideologies have come together to recognise the weaknesses of this draft regional strategy. As I mentioned earlier, I support the concept of a Draft Far North Coast Regional Strategy. However, in its current form, the draft regional strategy lacks the substance and detail needed to adequately plan for the future of this region. Public submissions on the Draft Far North Coast Regional Strategy closed yesterday, 10 May. I strongly urge the Minister for Planning to thoroughly address the issues raised in those submissions and to work to create a regional strategy that provides the necessary guidance to ensure the far North Coast prospers into the future while still retaining its diversity and unique character.
