13 May, 2014
New lobbyist rules a small step on a long road to reform
The tightening of rules for political lobbyists announced by Premier Mike Baird today is a welcome move but further reform is need to address corruption risks in approval processes for mines and other large developments identified by the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
“This is a step in the right direction but it does not remove the significant corruption risks inherent in the state’s planning system,” Nature Conservation Council of NSW Chief Pepe Clarke said.
“Recent ICAC hearings have revealed a very cosy relationship that developers and the mining lobby have had with certain members of parliament and state ministers.
“It is clear that the mining and developer lobbies have had too much influence over government. While the rules proposed by Premier Baird will shine some light on these relationships, further action is required to address corruption risks in the system that have been identified by the ICAC and the NSW Law Society.”
Mr Clarke said the government had failed to fully implement ICAC’s 2012 report, Anti-Corruption Safeguards and the NSW Planning System, which provided 16 key recommendations for reform to the NSW planning system.
“Changes to planning laws over the past decade have increased the state government’s powers in regard to mines and other large developments, overridden important environmental approvals, and restricted third-party merit appeal rights,” he said.
“These changes have led to an overall reduction in accountability and transparency for major project assessment and approval, and increased the risks of serious corruption.
“One of the original tenets of the Coalition Government’s recent review of the NSW planning system was to address the risks and perceptions of corruption and restore the focus on community engagement, accountability and the public interest.
“It is disappointing the Premier has not taken this opportunity to act decisively to remove corruption risk from the planning system at a time when the public is looking for strong leadership in this area.”
REFERENCES
[1] Anti-Corruption Safeguards and the NSW Planning System, Independent Commission Against Corruption (2012) (www.icac.nsw.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/article/4023)
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