Working on the Growth Centres
Realising the NSW Government’s land supply and infrastructure provision objectives means working with a range of service providers, industry groups and developers.
In doing so, planning in the Growth Centres operates under a number of pieces of legislation and State Government protocols.
Probity
The NSW Government is committed to maintaining the highest standards of probity in its land release operations.
In maintaining probity, the NSW Government will, in all of its decision-making, have regard to the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption's Probity Fundamentals of:
- obtaining best value for money
- impartiality
- dealing with conflicts of interest
- accountability
- transparency and
- maintaining confidentiality.
Of particular importance will be the approach to the sequencing of land releases and Precinct Planning.
The planning for the Growth Centres is subject to the following NSW laws which have relevance to the probity of its operations:
- Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979
- Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988 No 35
- Protected Disclosures Act 1994 No 92
- State Records Act 1998 No 17
- Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPAA)
Pre-qualified Land Release Panels
In 2006, the Growth Centres Commission placed advertisements in the Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review seeking Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from organisations across 18 fields of expertise.
The EOIs were used to pre-qualify service providers for specific land release panels and assisted the Commission with land release sequencing and detailed precinct planning responsibilities. The pre-qualified panels were established on 1 May 2007 and will expire on 31 October 2010.
The Commission was integrated into the Department of Planning (DoP) on 10 December 2008. To minimise waste and duplication in NSW Government administration, DoP has decided not to refresh the panels, as the Department of Premier & Cabinet (DPC) and Department of Services, Technology and Administration (DSTA) have established similar pre-qualified panels - the DPC/DSTA Prequalification Scheme: Performance and Management Services and the DSTA Prequalification Scheme for Consultants in Construction. Details on DPC and DSTA prequalification schemes can be found at http://www.nswprocurement.com.au/Consultants.aspx and details of current DoP panels can be found here.