Urban Taskforce ‘shying away from public scrutiny’

“The Keneally Government is notorious for the Part 3A approvals it has given in the past, especially for developments associated with generous party donors”, said Sylvia Hale MLC, Greens spokesperson for planning and Western Sydney.

“For the Government to belatedly begin to reject projects in western Sydney indicates that the Government is well and truly aware of how unpopular Part 3A of the Planning Act is.

“That unpopularity is probably equalled only by the unpopularity of the Government itself in western Sydney and indeed throughout the State.

“The prospect of retribution at the polls next March is clearly weighing on the minds of local Labor members of parliament.

“If the proposals the Urban Taskforce complains about are so beneficial for the people of western Sydney, then the proponents should not hesitate to seek approval from the relevant local councils.

“But that might open them up to greater public scrutiny and independent assessment of their merits – something that the developers clearly want to avoid.

“They must be spectacularly bad projects if even this State Government will have nothing to do with them,” said Ms Hale.

Further information: Colin Hesse on 9230 3030 or 0401 719 124