New South Wales has ranked equal last of all states and territories in the fast, fair and consistent delivery of development assessments, according to new research by the Residential Development Council (RDC) and the Property Council of Australia (PCA).

Only Tasmania scored as badly, in the report that rated DA processes by 10 “leading practice principles” including objectivity, private sector involvement, appeal and policy development.

“NSW has a sorry story to tell in the delivery of new housing and economic growth — and the complex planning system here can take much of the blame,” NSW acting executive director, Glenn Byres, said today.

“The poor performance of our development assessment processes has been matched by high taxes and infrastructure charges that strangle investment.”

?NSW averaged 5.2 out of 10, while Victoria scored a 6.2 average, Queensland tallied 5.8, WA hit 5.3 and ACT notched up 6.2. The Northern Territory topped the class for development assessments, scoring 7.3 out of 10 on average.

“The fact that the Northern Territory government is the single authority for statutory planning places the Northern Territory at a significant advantage,” said Karen White, PCA NT executive director.

“In the states, local councils add additional levels of complexity and delay into the planning system that we can all do without”.

Darwin City Council representatives already make up 40 per cent of the membership of the Darwin Development Consent Authority, and that is “more than adequate”, White said.

ACT was let down by those applications assessed under merit assessment, particularly commercial developments. Users criticised the system in the Capital Territory of being “overly bureaucratic”, “highly political” and with “impenetrable language”, ACT executive director, Catherine Carter, said.

“There is also criticism of the appeals system, including the number of frivolous and vexatious third-party appeals, which slow down the application process,” she said, pointing out that the system was still new.

In Queensland, the recent amalgamation of councils has failed to improve efficiency. The system, which scored 5.8, is “outdated” and “in need of review”, executive director, Steve Greenwood, said.

“The development and roll out of template planning schemes and model codes under SPA would go a long way to improving the system,” he said.

Scoring 6.2 out of 10, Victoria came in joint third and is “on the right track”, according to Victorian executive director of the PCA, Jennifer Cunich.

However, the establishment of a Victorian planning authority to coordinate all areas of planning — tax arrangements, public transport, infrastructure and infill development — is “the missing piece in the planning puzzle”, she said.

Architects in Tasmania are also battling with an obstructive and “parochial” system that scored just 5.2 out of 10, putting it in equal-last position across the states.

To reform the system, development assessments should be decided by independent experts to eliminate “parochial politics”, state executive director, Mary Massina, said.

A metropolitan plan for grater Hobart and Launceston was “vital” for growth and economic success, she said.

South Australia scored 6.8 out of 10, indicating that the state had come a long way in recent years, said SA executive director, Nathan Paine.

The state government should be “commended” for the introduction of Adelaide’s 30-year plan, but there was still a lot to be done, he said.

While exposing those states which are lagging behind and naming those which are embracing planning reform, the report also showcased the future potential of each state based on planning reform announcements and commitments by governments that have not yet been implemented.

Were all reforms implemented, NSW would have the potential to score 7.4 in the Property Council’s assessment, which would see it rank second, behind only South Australia (7.7). Victoria would improve only marginally, bringing its average to 6.5, while Queensland would reach 6.8. Western Australia would see significant improvement, bring it from 5.3 to 7.2. South Australia would attain a score of 7.7 if all promised reforms were put into practice and Tasmania would hit 6.6. The Northern Territory’s score would remain the same.

Full report...