Directions Paper - Western Australian Planning Commission

Directions Paper on the Integration of NRM and Land Use Planningoperational policies within a central framework,to provide the context for land use planningdecision making in Western Australia. The StatePlanning Framework contains policy guidancefor a range of NRM issues including landdegradation, land use conflicts, managementof water resources, biodiversity conservation,coastal management, climate change, air qualityand energy conservation. The effectiveness ofthe policy guidance provided for different NRMmatters is variable, and in most cases requiresrefinement or further guidance to support itsinterpretation and application at different stagesof the planning process. There are a numberof shortfalls that exist within the current StatePlanning Framework that should be addressedto further support integration of NRM and landuse planning. These include the metro-centricnature of existing policies, absence of anintegrated framework for sustainable decisionmaking, limited guidance on implementation atdifferent stages of the planning process, and thecurrency and complexity of the framework.Under the Planning and Development Act2005, local government has an important rolein integrating NRM and land use planning asthey are responsible for the preparation andadministration of local planning strategiesand local planning schemes. The potentialrole of local government in achieving NRMoutcomes through local level planning isoften constrained by low capacity in terms ofresources and expertise. The majority of localgovernments outside of the Perth MetropolitanRegion and other regional centres often rely onconsultants to support their land use planningfunctions, particularly the more complex andtime consuming activities such as preparingor amending local planning strategies andschemes. There are a number of optionsto support local government’s capacity toachieve NRM outcomes through land useplanning, including the delivery of partnershipprojects, more efficient use of local governmentresources, and provision of funding support andState government assistance.Improving the Integration ofNRM into land use planningThis directions paper identifies opportunities toimprove the integration of NRM into the WesternAustralian land use planning system, whichrelate to three key themes:• Clear policy direction for integrating NRMinto the WA planning framework.• Whole of government involvement in NRMand land use planning.• Local government support for integrationof NRM into land use planning.Recommendations and actions to improvethe integration of NRM into land use planningare summarised in Table 1. Implementation ofthe majority of recommendations and actionsproposed in Table 1 require resources thatcurrently exceed those within State NRMagencies, particularly the DPI. Investmentof resources in improving the integration ofNRM into land use planning will need to beongoing and continue beyond the four yearimplementation timeframe proposed. Thefour year timeframe has been proposed toalign with NRM funding opportunities at theCommonwealth and State level.Limited opportunities for funding of therecommendations of the Directions Paperare available through the CommonwealthGovernment’s new Caring for Our Countryprogram, which predominantly focuses ondiscrete national icons and on-ground activities.Furthermore, the State Government’s recentfocus on reducing operational expenditure willaffect the capacity of the DPI to fund positionsto support implementation of recommendations.Funding for the recommendations of theDirections Paper therefore appears to bedependent on the State Government’sinvestment in implementation of the draftNatural Resource Management Plan for WesternAustralia (2008), which explicitly recognisesthat land use planning is a powerful tool toimprove strategic outcomes for NRM in WesternAustralia.vi