Planning and Design Code

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (15:45): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Treasurer, representing the Minister for Planning, on the subject of the Planning and Design Code.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL: The Planning and Design Code will consolidate all of the planning rules for the state. It will determine what you can and can't build and where. Late last year, following much community disquiet, the government provided a further six-week opportunity to provide feedback on the revised draft Planning and Design Code, and that period was from 4 November to 18 December. The initial public comment period a year earlier resulted in over 2,000 submissions. Last week, the government announced an implementation date of Friday 19 March 2021 for the code to go live. According to the government media release:

On this day the updated Planning and Design Code, incorporating improvements from the latest round of public consultation, will be released. A comprehensive Engagement Report will also be made available at this time.

To put that in plain language, the community will not know what changes have been made to the state's planning rules until the day that those changes come into operation. This is in contrast to the government's commitment on its website which states:

An Engagement Report will be released in the first quarter of 2021 that outlines any further changes proposed to the Code in response to public feedback.

My questions to the minister are:

1. How many submissions on the code were received during the most recent public comment period?

2. Why won't the government disclose the changes it proposes to make to the Planning and Design Code before the code goes live?

3. Is there any reason why the government can't publish their comprehensive engagement report ahead of the implementation of the code as foreshadowed on its website?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:47): I am happy to take the questions on notice and bring back a reply.