Public Consultation: State Development Coordination and Facilitation Bill

Consultation has concluded

Have your say on how we propose to strengthen South Australia’s competitive advantage in delivering a net-zero economy while tackling the housing crisis.

What's being decided?

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) is seeking your feedback on a draft State Development Coordination and Facilitation Bill. The draft Bill proposes concepts and frameworks that will help ensure South Australia is best placed to manage the increased demand and urgency that decarbonisation, a changing economy and an ongoing housing crisis are placing on it.

Through this Bill, we aim to:

  • facilitate economy-wide decarbonisation and net zero industry growth
  • ensure that South Australia’s regulatory and planning system is effective, efficient, competitive and fit-for-purpose for our transition to net-zero
  • support the timely delivery of large housing developments to address the current housing crisis – helping to deliver more homes, more quickly
  • provide new powers to better coordinate, consolidate and streamline regulatory processes
  • proactively address known challenges faced by major and complex projects
  • establish the concept of ‘state development areas’ – environmentally and economically suitable ‘go zones’, such as net zero industry precincts – that have been proactively assessed by regulators as environmentally and economically suitable for key developments to be facilitated at pace, while leaving existing planning and regulatory legislation otherwise unchanged.

Background

South Australia has a target to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. As this move to decarbonise gathers pace globally, it will lead to a significant increase in projects and developments that need urgent assessment and approval by the government. Examples are not just limited to renewable energy projects – they will cover the entire economy, including:

  • green manufacturing facilities
  • new mines to access decarbonisation minerals, such as copper for electrification, critical minerals for batteries, or iron for green steel
  • new infrastructure corridors
  • urgent housing and workers’ accommodation, and expansion of towns in key growth areas
  • existing industrial facilities that need to transition to being carbon-neutral.

Our fast-changing economy is also increasing the need for urgent development in other areas, including defence and particularly housing.

As economy-wide decarbonisation requires the legislation to have an economy-wide scope, it is proposed that the legislation could equally be applied to address the current housing crisis or assist with the timely delivery of major defence projects such as the AUKUS submarine program.

We have modelled the proposed legislation on contemporary interstate and international best practice, including from national and state governments across the U.S. and Europe, and, of course, Australia. We also engaged with key industry, research and NGO stakeholders for their input to draft Bill.

Get involved

Find out more:

Have your say by:

  • taking our survey below
  • sending us an e-mail to share your views or set up a time for a call or meeting via SDCF@sa.gov.au
  • sending us a written submission via email or post (SDCF Team, Level 14, State Administration Centre, 200 Victoria Square, Adelaide SA 5000)

What are the next steps?

We will use your feedback to shape and optimise a final version of the Bill, ready for introduction in the third quarter of 2024.

Have your say on how we propose to strengthen South Australia’s competitive advantage in delivering a net-zero economy while tackling the housing crisis.

What's being decided?

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) is seeking your feedback on a draft State Development Coordination and Facilitation Bill. The draft Bill proposes concepts and frameworks that will help ensure South Australia is best placed to manage the increased demand and urgency that decarbonisation, a changing economy and an ongoing housing crisis are placing on it.

Through this Bill, we aim to:

  • facilitate economy-wide decarbonisation and net zero industry growth
  • ensure that South Australia’s regulatory and planning system is effective, efficient, competitive and fit-for-purpose for our transition to net-zero
  • support the timely delivery of large housing developments to address the current housing crisis – helping to deliver more homes, more quickly
  • provide new powers to better coordinate, consolidate and streamline regulatory processes
  • proactively address known challenges faced by major and complex projects
  • establish the concept of ‘state development areas’ – environmentally and economically suitable ‘go zones’, such as net zero industry precincts – that have been proactively assessed by regulators as environmentally and economically suitable for key developments to be facilitated at pace, while leaving existing planning and regulatory legislation otherwise unchanged.

Background

South Australia has a target to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. As this move to decarbonise gathers pace globally, it will lead to a significant increase in projects and developments that need urgent assessment and approval by the government. Examples are not just limited to renewable energy projects – they will cover the entire economy, including:

  • green manufacturing facilities
  • new mines to access decarbonisation minerals, such as copper for electrification, critical minerals for batteries, or iron for green steel
  • new infrastructure corridors
  • urgent housing and workers’ accommodation, and expansion of towns in key growth areas
  • existing industrial facilities that need to transition to being carbon-neutral.

Our fast-changing economy is also increasing the need for urgent development in other areas, including defence and particularly housing.

As economy-wide decarbonisation requires the legislation to have an economy-wide scope, it is proposed that the legislation could equally be applied to address the current housing crisis or assist with the timely delivery of major defence projects such as the AUKUS submarine program.

We have modelled the proposed legislation on contemporary interstate and international best practice, including from national and state governments across the U.S. and Europe, and, of course, Australia. We also engaged with key industry, research and NGO stakeholders for their input to draft Bill.

Get involved

Find out more:

Have your say by:

  • taking our survey below
  • sending us an e-mail to share your views or set up a time for a call or meeting via SDCF@sa.gov.au
  • sending us a written submission via email or post (SDCF Team, Level 14, State Administration Centre, 200 Victoria Square, Adelaide SA 5000)

What are the next steps?

We will use your feedback to shape and optimise a final version of the Bill, ready for introduction in the third quarter of 2024.