CITY OF ADELAIDE PLANNING

Ms BETTISON (Ramsay) (14:23): My question is to the Minister for Planning. Can the minister inform the house about how the government is progressing with planning reforms in the City of Adelaide?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:23): I thank the honourable member for her question, and it is lovely to have new faces in the parliament. Last year I spoke to the house—

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order, Deputy Premier.

Mrs REDMOND: How is the question not hypothetical?

The SPEAKER: I am not really sure what the Leader of the Opposition is on about. We are a bit confused up here. My knowledge of the question is 'inform the house about how the government is progressing with planned reforms in the City of Adelaide'. I do not see how that is hypothetical, so I do not uphold that point of order. Deputy Premier.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I am reporting progress, I think; I think that is what I am doing. Yes. Last year I spoke to this house about how I had been concerned for some time about the need for the city council's policies to encourage and deliver appropriate and interesting development in the City of Adelaide.

I said that the city must lead in delivering the promise of the 30-year plan. I concluded my comments at that time by saying that I was pleased there was a positive partnering with the planning department and the Adelaide City Council to prepare a package of possible reforms by the end of that year (that is, last year) that could include rezoning changes, activating public spaces and reinvigorating underused buildings.

Work has continued, and the government and the Adelaide City Council have been discussing what a reformed planning agenda for our capital city needs. I have been meeting with—and I continue to meet regularly with—representatives of the Adelaide City Council, including the Lord Mayor and members of the Capital City Committee, to keep them informed of progress. I was also pleased to attend the most recent Adelaide City Council meeting where I met with members to advise them of how work had progressed.

I was encouraged by the interest and general enthusiasm of the council members for their planning policies to be reviewed. As this work progresses, I look forward to returning to a future council meeting to discuss the time frames for this project and to seek council's endorsement for council staff to work with staff from the planning department to realise a new vision for the City of Adelaide.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition.