Both the Australian and State Governments have been relying on the construction industry to stimulate the economy, create jobs, and help pull the nation out of the pandemic-induced economic slump, and a variety of measures have been introduced to ensure that projects can start turning earth sooner, rather than later.
The latest of these measures is an announcement from Richard Wynne, the Victorian Planning Minister, who stated that he will take action against local councils that are ‘dragging their heels’ on project approvals.
During a development industry webinar, Wynne cited an example of a major social housing project that was being held up by the local council due to a disagreement over windows.
The Planning Minister also stated the Building Victoria’s Recovery Taskforce would intervene in civil matters at Tribunal if required.
Wynne stressed that, coming from a local government background himself, he didn’t want to supersede local government, but if Councils aren’t doing their jobs or are holding up projects for petty reasons, the Taskforce would evaluate those projects.
While this announcement only applies to large-scale projects, it should send a message to Council that getting construction projects up and running is paramount in these economic conditions.