Final Report PlanFirst Review Taskforce - Department of Planning

Options for Ongoing Collection and Use of the Fee
During deliberations regarding the strategic planning fee, the Taskforce formed the view that the
EP&A Act provides for State and regional planning as a legitimate and core function of the State
government. Hence, a stand alone, additional fee on development is not necessarily the most
equitable way to fund this fundamental and central role of government. Accordingly, it is more
appropriate that DIPNR source funding for these core functions from Treasury during the annual
budget process.
Notwithstanding this, the Taskforce examined a range of possibilities for the continued collection of
the fee, including:
• maintaining the fee as applied and identifying a fuller range of reform and improvement projects
it could be applied to - eg: piloting the e-delivery of local plans at particular councils.
• changing the contribution rate and/or cap and/or base threshold to which the fee applies.
• continuing the fee until the outcomes of the Section 94 Review Taskforce are known.
• increasing the $5 administration fee to enable consent authorities to recover the true costs of
remittance to DIPNR.
The Taskforce concluded that:
• the fee should be retained in the short term and at least until the end of the 2003/04 financial
year.
• the abolition or retention of the fee should be explored once a review of Section 94 and all other
levies under the EP&A Act is completed.
• DIPNR should source funding for the continuous reform and improvement of the planning and
development assessment system from the annual budget process.
• the current application of the fee to small and large developments alike was the most equitable
approach.
• the fee should be capped such that it is never greater than 50% of the DA assessment fee.
• revenue collected to date and during the remainder of this financial year should be shared
equally between State and local government.
• a comprehensive strategy needs to be developed that targets local government for early
spending of the fee revenue collected to date. This may include piloting e-planning and other
initiatives to streamline and simplify planning at the local level. The targeting of regional
cooperation between councils to achieve uniformity in planning outcomes and to facilitate new
integrated plans in council areas likely to amalgamate should also be considered.
• an increase in the $5 administration fee to $25 was warranted.
6.2 Responses from Key Stakeholders
A summary of the main concerns of stakeholders in relation to the strategic planning fee is shown
below.
Main Concerns – Strategic Planning Fee Raised By
General support for continuation of strategic planning fee, however funds
need to be clearly quarantined and applied to the reforms, with
accountability directed to results rather than process. Release an annual
report on the fee revenue with details of all expenditure, results and
outcomes.
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1 September 2003
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