The Minns Labor Government’s Planning System Reforms Bill 2025 has passed both houses of Parliament with broad support, clearing the way for what’s being called the most significant shake-up of New South Wales’ planning system in decades.
The reforms overhaul the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, streamlining development approvals and cutting red tape to accelerate housing delivery and major projects across the state.
For years, developers, councils and industry groups have argued the system was too complex and slow, contributing to housing shortages and escalating costs.
The new framework aims to change that by simplifying approvals, improving coordination between government agencies and providing more certainty for both communities and industry.
A new Development Coordination Authority will serve as a single point of contact for advice on major projects, while the Housing Delivery Authority will now be permanently legislated to maintain a state-wide focus on supply.
The Bill also expands complying development pathways for low-impact housing and introduces a targeted assessment process for projects already subject to planning and community consultation.
To make engagement simpler, more than 100 separate consultation plans will be replaced with one state-wide Community Participation Plan.
The legislation also updates the Act’s objectives to include housing delivery, climate resilience and proportionality for the first time, and removes outdated regional planning panels.
Premier Chris Minns said the Bill’s passage was a major step forward in tackling NSW’s housing crisis.
“For too long, NSW has been held back by a system that was slow, complex and out of step with the necessity to deliver more homes,” he said. “These reforms will help us build more homes faster, in the right places.”
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Paul Scully said the reforms would deliver a planning system fit for a modern economy. “This Bill supports housing and energy delivery, job creation and better communities,” he said.
The Bill forms part of a broader reform agenda that includes the Transport Oriented Development Program, Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy, Infill Affordable Housing Bonus, Renewable Energy Planning Framework and Investment Delivery Authority.
Together, the initiatives aim to remove barriers to housing supply and support young people, families and key workers trying to buy or rent in NSW.
For real estate professionals, the reforms could mean faster project timeframes, improved housing availability, and more predictable development pipelines; factors that may help ease affordability pressures and stimulate long-term market stability.
