The State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) review has been released today which provides a number of recommendations that will be implemented by the Chair of SCAP over the coming six months.
This internal review drew on interviews with members from SCAP and team members from the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. There was also consideration of public and media sentiment and the principle of transparency articulated in the Community Engagement Charter.
At the centre of this review was the need for openness and transparency in how SCAP operates. Some of the key recommendations concern public hearings, SCAP agendas being made available and the ability for the public to keep appraised of state government projects. Of particular importance is where crown development applications were historically considered in confidence, whereas now, these agenda items and papers will be publically available on the SCAP website.
Another important area of the review was about ensuring the State Planning Commission and SCAP interacts effectively and that the membership comprises the right mix of the necessary expertise and experience.
Following examination, SCAP have established a new member composition, effective from 1 December 2018 for the next 18 months, by re-appointing four existing members and appointing two new members. The timeframe of these appointments coincide with completion of the State’s new Planning & Design Code by July 2020.
Simone Fogarty will remain the Presiding Member of SCAP, continuing to bring a wealth of knowledge about where policy does and doesn’t work well, having overseen the assessment of the most complex assessments in the State. Dennis Mutton, Chris Branford and Peter Dungey also remain as members and bring a significant breadth of experience across development, design, the environment and rural planning issues.
Sally Roberts and Mark Adcock join SCAP as new members. Sally Roberts is a local government planner from the regions with significant development assessment experience and a real understanding of regional issues faced by local government. Mark Adcock, previously the principal planner to the DAC, has extensive experience in planning at the state and local government level, as well as previously owning his own practice.
Helen Dyer has been appointed as a member of the State Planning Commission and David O’Loughlin and Sue Crafter will finish at the end of their term on 30 November. I would like to sincerely thank both David and Sue for their invaluable contribution to SCAP to date.
These changes mark a renewed commitment from the State Planning Commission and will ensure learnings from the development assessment function feeds into policy development for the State’s new planning system. The mix of ongoing and new members allows for continuity as the Commission, with insights from SCAP, focus on delivering the Code over the next 12-18 months. The Commission will also consider additional technical expertise required for areas such as transport engineering and construction.
Simone Fogarty working with me as Chair will continue to oversee implementation of the other recommendations from the SCAP review and during the next 12 months, the Commission will lead a public recruitment process.
It is a priority of the Commission to continue to operate efficiently and effectively as we work through planning reform, ensuring the State is ‘open-for-business’ while the new system is being built.
Michael Lennon
State Planning Commission Chair
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