I’m pleased to announce that the Greens have secured agreement on a range of important reforms that will help make our planning system work for everyone.

Big steps towards a climate-ready Canberra

I’m especially pleased that, for the first time in ACT history, high greenhouse gas-emitting development proposals will be required to account for their planet-warming emissions in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This will give Canberrans an unprecedented opportunity to fight for them to be cleaner and greener, and better for our community.

As a bonus, climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions will also need to be disclosed as part of the Development Application (DA) process on larger scale developments from July 2021.  That will allow better targeted action to reduce emissions in future.

For too long, climate emissions have been in the too-hard basket for development application processes. As a direct result of my legislation, people who are concerned about the future of our planet will be thrilled to hear that we will be able to actually start counting emissions of building use here in the ACT. This is new ground, and in some ways baby steps, but vital in planning a climate-safe future.

Fighting hard to have your voices heard

Canberrans, no matter where they live, will now also have the right to have their say about major developments in their suburbs - a win for residents of newer suburbs like Wright, Coombs, Denman Prospect, Lawson and Moncrieff. 

More development application information will now be available online, and DA periods extended over the Christmas/New Year break - so that our community has more of  the information to hand we need to make decisions about the kind of development we want in our suburbs, and our community.

… But there’s still so much more to fight for.

It’s clear that at a time of climate emergency, the other parties simply aren’t delivering the long-term vision for a climate-ready planning and building system that Canberrans expect and deserve.

Despite important steps forward on greenhouse action, an important part of what we hoped to achieve on emissions was not supported.  The Greens remain committed to expanding how the planning system prepares development for a hotter, drier future.

The parties did not support more rights to appeal where developments are being exempted from environmental impact assessments.  These developments are often our most sensitive, with impacts like removing endangered native vegetation.

Sadly, the other parties did not support closer scrutiny by an independent Design Review Panel of large retail developments, like those at Mawson, Kippax and Cooleman Court.

The parties also did not support Assembly oversight of controversial planning decisions, like call-ins and deconcessionalisation.

And now, a short farewell 

It has been an honour to serve as your ACT Greens Planning Spokesperson, Member for Murrumbidgee, and previously Member for Molonglo. Thank you for your ongoing support over the course of my two terms in the Assembly. The Greens know that we simply cannot make important reforms without your contributions, your ideas, and your support. 

I am confident that this important work will continue together with Emma Davidson, our ACT Greens candidate for Murrumbidgee, and Rebecca Vassarotti, our candidate for Kurrajong and Campaign Planning Spokesperson, as they (hopefully!) take the reins as some of your new Greens MLAs in the Assembly, following the upcoming October election.

Kindly,

Caroline Le Couteur MLA
ACT Greens Planning, Sustainable Development and Heritage Spokesperson
ACT Greens Member for Murrumbidge