COFFS Harbour City councillors have united in opposition against proposed NSW Government changes to an Infrastructure Contributions Bill which will see developer contributions deviated from local councils to the State Government.

The NSW Government introduced the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Infrastructure Contributions) Bill 2021 into Parliament on 22 June.

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Proposed changes to the Bill may see future ratepayer funds expended rather than developer levies for new infrastructure brought about by increased development in the local area.

Coffs Harbour Mayor Denise Knight tabled a Mayoral Minute at Council’s recent meeting on Thursday 9 September calling on councillors to support the local government sector’s campaign on the infrastructure contributions reforms.

“Councils support efforts to reduce complexity, cut red tape and improve transparency and equity, however, implementation of the reforms will have far reaching financial implications for our council and community that are unknown at this stage and there is concern that we may be worse off under the reforms,” Cr Knight stated.

“These reforms may force our council to delay or completely remove projects from our expenditure plan with a detrimental impact not only on community wellbeing and participation in civic life, but also crucially on job creation.

“Councils need to be in a position to deliver quality infrastructure and open spaces if they are to attract homebuyers, housing and commercial development and business investment and these reforms put this at risk.”

Cr Keith Rhoades called on fellow councillors to send a strong message to say that they “do not support the Bill in its current form”.

“What it means if it’s passed is Developer Contributions on major projects will be actually not received by the local Council to provide local infrastructure, whether it be bridgework that’s required within a subdivision, whether it be through regional facility programs that are within some of our contributions plans,” Cr Rhoades stated.

“The Government’s intent if this Bill is passed is that that money will actually go to the State Government and not to the local Council.

“I’m not talking thousands of dollars here, I’m talking potentially hundreds of millions of dollars that the State Government would be the custodian of and at their discretion they decide where that money is spent.”

Cr Rhoades said Councils around NSW were “fairly united in their stand on this”.

“It just needs the commitment of more Councils in NSW to send that clear, clear message to the State Government – ‘this is simply not on’.

“If it’s a local project, major project within a local government area of NSW, that community and that Council should be the beneficiary of their contributions plans and the money derived from the developer goes back into local infrastructure.”

Councillors unanimously agreed to call on the NSW Government to withdraw the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Infrastructure Contributions) Bill 2021 from NSW Parliament, and called on the NSW Government to undertake further consultation with the local government sector on any proposed reforms to the infrastructure contributions system.

Council will write to Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes and Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock seeking them to withdraw the Bill.

Council will also request Local Government NSW (LGNSW) to advocate on Council’s behalf to protect local government from any amendments to infrastructure contributions which leaves councils and communities exposed to expending ratepayer funds on new infrastructure made necessary by new development, currently the responsibility of developers.

LGNSW has made a submission to the parliamentary inquiry opposing the passage of the Bill, and on 16 July LGNSW President Linda Scott spoke at the inquiry hearing alongside other local government representatives to present a united front on the issue.

By Emma DARBIN