Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

IssuesCOAG’s National Criteria for Capital City Strategic Planning SystemsAs part of its microeconomic reform agenda, the Council of Australian Governments(COAG) has agreed reforms to ensure Australia’s capital cities are well placed to meet thechallenges of the future. The objective of these reforms is to ensure Australian cities areglobally competitive, productive, sustainable, liveable and socially inclusive and are wellplaced to meet future challenges and growth.On 7 December 2009, COAG agreed the national objective and nine national criteria for thefuture strategic planning of Australia’s capital cities. The nine criteria for capital city strategicplanning systems are set out at Appendix 1. COAG agreed that by 1 January 2012 all Stateswill have in place plans that meet the criteria. The aim of these reforms is to achieve betteroutcomes from investments by all levels of government and strengthen public confidence inplanning systems for our capital cities.A capital city strategic planning system integrates spatial planning policies with other policiesand programs that influence the development and use of land within a capital city. Itencompasses a range of institutional, budgetary and financial arrangements and decisionmakingprocesses that give effect to a government’s policies for managing growth andchange in a capital city.Integrated DesignA concept raised a number of times with the Review, and which has merit, was integrateddesign. The South Australian Government has established an Integrated Design Commissionto coordinate future development in Adelaide with an enabling and coordinating roleincluding providing advice to the Government about how it might improve the quality of lifein cities and communities around the State through better design, and by fostering innovation.In announcing the initiative the South Australian Premier, the Hon Mike Rann MP, noted “itwill ensure that our future development and infrastructure investment is better co-ordinatedand of the highest quality, not something that we, or our children, will regret later”. 232The South Australian Government notes:Integrated Design recognises that the nature of our challenges has shifted with increasinginterdependence on component parts. Cities are just one example of a complex system thatcrosses traditional boundaries of responsibility including transport, planning, health andeducation, sustainability and finance. Multi-disciplinary perspectives are required to respondto global and local challenges. 233232 Rann, The Hon. M. (2009) Design Commission for 21 st Centuryhttp://www.premier.sa.gov.au/~premiers/images/stories/mediareleasesDEC09/design%20commission%20for%20adelaide.pdf233 South Australian Government (2010b) Integrated Design Commissionhttp://www.premcab.sa.gov.au/dpc/department_idc.htmlAdministrative Arrangements Changes: 188