ANTHONY TEMPLETON, The Courier-Mail - July 9, 2016 12:00am
PLANNING red tape between different levels of government is
costing the housing industry up to $200 million a year ... and pushing up the
cost of homes.
The Housing Industry Association Queensland has made a
submission to the State Government about improving affordability, but it claims
the complex rules between different levels of government are hitting buyers.Most councils have building codes and town plans, and the State Government also has rules and policies. The HIA says there are about 300 “plans of development” in southeast Queensland. They act like mini planning schemes. Many councils have no records of how many exist.
“The resultant lack of transparency and complexity ... is by HIA’s calculation costing the sector in the order of $170 to 200 million per year,” the submission says.
“Ultimately, a significant proportion of this cost is passed onto consumers through increased housing costs.”
A Planning Department spokeswoman said legislation passed this year aimed to reduce the complexity of the system and make it more flexible.
“In 2015, the Government also established the Construction, Planning and Property Red Tape Reduction Panel, which includes industry and government representatives, to list priority items for reform and remove unnecessary imposts on the property sector,” the spokeswoman said.
The President of the Emerald Chamber of Commerce called for a
complete overhaul of regulations in Queensland beginning with Local Government.
Mr. Cominos said, “Sadly the introduction of GST and higher stamp duty has not
helped the housing industry”.
Disclaimer: V. B. Cominos has been a licenced real estate agent for some 45 years.
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