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committee's report

The committee tabled its report on 29 May 2014.

View: Sustainable Planning (Infrastructure Charges) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2014
View: Explanatory Notes
View: Report No. 41, 54th Parliament - Sustainable Planning (Infrastructure Charges) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2014
View: Government Response to Report No. 41

Referral

On 8 May 2014, the Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Hon Jeff Seeney MP, introduced the Sustainable Planning (Infrastructure Charges) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 to the Queensland Parliament.

In accordance with Standing Order 131, the Bill has been referred to the State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee for consideration.  The committee must provide its report to the House by 29 May 2014.

The Bill

The Bill provides for the establishment of a long-term local infrastructure planning and charging framework in Queensland that supports local government and distributor-retailer (local authority) sustainability and development feasibility.

In this regard, the policy objectives of the Bill are to:

1. Establish a long-term local infrastructure planning and charging framework that is certain, consistent and transparent and which supports local authority sustainability and development feasibility in Queensland
2. Simplify, streamline and clarify the operation of Chapter 8 of Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA) and the supporting appeal and dispute resolution processes for infrastructure charges matters within the SPA.
3. Remove superseded and redundant provisions from Chapter 8 of SPA.
4. Align the distributor-retailer infrastructure charging and planning arrangements under the South East Queensland Water (Distribution and Retail Restructuring) Act  2009 (SEQ Water Act) with the local government framework under SPA.

The Bill also amends the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (SDPWO Act) to facilitate the implementation of the proposed bilateral agreement between the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments. The amendments to the SDPWO Act adopt Commonwealth Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) responsibilities and enable the Coordinator-General to assess and authorise projects that may impact on EPBC Act protected matters.

The objects of the approvals bilateral agreement will be to:

• ensure Australia complies fully with all its international environmental obligations
• ensure matters of national environmental significance (MNES) are protected as required under the EPBC Act
• promote the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources
• ensure an efficient, timely and effective process for environmental assessment  and approval of actions, and
• minimise duplication in the environmental assessment and approvals processes of the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments.

Submissions closed:    16 May 2014
Public Briefing:            15 May 2014 - transcript
Public Hearing             21 May 2014 - transcript

Due to the short reporting timeframe set by the House, the committee was unable to accept requests for extensions on submissions.