Ministerial Statement

URBAN RENEWAL AUTHORITY

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:01): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: On 20 November last year in this place I announced that the state government intended to create a single body to bring together all agencies responsible for land and housing development. This body, the Urban Renewal Authority, has now been in operation since 1 March and today I am very pleased to announce the appointment of a full-time chief executive officer.

The introduction of a new Urban Renewal Authority is born of the simple fact that we want to create great places for people to live, a vibrant city, and safe and healthy neighbourhoods that offer affordable living. These are essential elements of the seven priority focus areas for government action to make the most of South Australia's exciting future. A coordinating body to renew our cities and suburbs is central to this task and that is the role of the Urban Renewal Authority.

I am very pleased to announce today that Mr Fred Hansen, an international expert in transport and liveable cities, has accepted this position and will soon start in the role. Mr Hansen is already well-known in South Australia. He has spent valuable time here in the past two years as a Thinker In Residence. Before that he was general manager of TriMet, the department of transport in Portland, Oregon. He filled that role from October 1998 until July 2010, a time of unprecedented development in that city. Mr Hansen is recognised as a leader in the transit planning world, having lectured and participated on panels throughout the US and around the world. His message is that land use and transportation must be fully integrated to build and revitalise neighbourhoods and to make places where people want to live, work and play.

Before his appointment as general manager of TriMet, Mr Hansen was Deputy Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the number two person appointed by the President charged with protecting the environment. Mr Hanson's Thinker In Residence report, 'All on board: Growing vibrant communities through transport’, which was released last year, drew on his significant experience to recommend ways to create walkable, liveable and sustainable neighbourhoods.

I look forward to welcoming Mr Hansen to Adelaide in his new role and to him bringing his expertise to the future development of Adelaide's neighbourhoods. It is a compliment to South Australia that there were 26 applicants for this exciting new role and a compliment to Mr Hansen that he came through this competitive process from a final shortlisted field of four who were involved in the final interviews.

I thank all the applicants for their interest in what the government believes will be a pivotal and exciting role. I would also like to thank Mr Rod Hook for his interim stewardship of the Urban Renewal Authority and the staff of the URA for their hard work and commitment during this transition process.