The Property Council welcomes the appointment of the new NSW Productivity Commissioner, Peter Achterstraat AM.
“The Property Council has been a strong supporter of the establishment of a Productivity Commission as a welcome mechanism to hold a mirror to the way we operate and look for productivity improvements,” Property Council NSW Executive Director Jane Fitzgerald said today.
“Mr Achterstraat’s experience garnered through a distinguished career will place him in a strong position to take on key reforms to reduce red tape and encourage investment.
“ln particular, we would welcome as one of the Commission’s first actions, an inquiry examining the complexity of the NSW planning system to identify reforms to improve its efficiency.
“Such an inquiry will build on the valuable work done by the federal Productivity Commission in 2011, that included an Australia-wide investigation of planning regulation, including the impact of developer contributions.
“In the past two decades, the quantum of levies collected annually by councils across metro Sydney has increased over 300 per cent from approximately $170 million in 1998-99 to almost $683 million in 2016-17, adding significant cost to the price of housing for the community and undermining investment.
“We look forward to working with Mr Achterstraat in his new position.”
