Dear Member / Supporter --
How did they corrupt our planning systems?
We know that the property industry wants our major cities to look like New York. But how could they possibly achieve something so undesirable and detrimental to most Australians?
A recent eNewsletter covered the financial reliance of our politicians and media on the property industry. This week we ask:
How did they corrupt our planning systems?
In short, Liberal and Labor state governments have stripped local communities and councils of planning rights, replacing them with unelected property industry planning panels.
Due to this removal of local planning democracy, the heritage and green space of our cities, suburbs and towns is being destroyed - replaced by expensive cookie-cutter overdevelopment.
Perth's tangled web
Using Perth as the example, we encourage you to read this murky 2019 'Tangled web' investigative series from WAtoday:
"Local councils of publicly elected members used to hold extensive powers over development approvals. But in recent years the government has stripped much of this power from them and concentrated it in the hands of development assessment panels and a few key state bodies.
"...perceptions that the appointees themselves are individuals who are first and foremost loyal to the developer cause, and will forever be sympathetic to industry over communities in applying discretion, has added fuel to the fire of community opposition to developments."
Read Part I of the Tangled Web series: CLICK HERE
Satire meets reality
This satirical 'Perth Property Developer laughing all the way to the bank' video also covers the replacement of local councils and community rights with unelected planning panels.
WATCH: https://youtu.be/jrcYI6bajIg
Do you laugh or cry?
WA election
Due to the environmental and lifestyle implications of rampant growth, a key focus for our state and territory campaigns is better planning - to stop overdevelopment.
How?
Stop corruption - by rebuilding trust and transparency in our governance and in planning systems. Our planning policy outlines how we will return real planning powers to local communities through proper local citizen engagement.
West Australians can now join our WA branch to help our community party register for the state election in just 10 months.
ABC pushes property propaganda
Once property developers get the green light for more sprawl and density developments, they need to sell them.
That's why they lobby politicians for foreign buyers and record high immigration levels - both of which SAP opposes. Unfortunately, your ABC - without fact-checking - recently gave property industry lobbyist Shane Geha it's national digital platform to push the case for more housing demand.
He did this by repeating spurious ageing population myths that have been debunked by many, including me.
Our media release to the ABC requesting a rebuttal of this property industry propaganda went unanswered.
If you're concerned about property industry propaganda on the ABC, consider writing to Media Watch to ask for balance. Perhaps also suggest that the ABC offers a moderate immigration voice such as former federal MP Kelvin Thomson, now of the Sustainable Australia Party, a right of reply.
We have also contacted RMIT ABC Fact Check and several ABC economics and business journalist to suggest they investigate Mr Geha's bogus claims that the ageing of the population lowers workforce participation, reduces tax collection, and requires austerity and spending cuts.
Thank you
Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank everyone who has chipped in financially to help the party to continue. We've been particularly encouraged by the number of people that have started monthly donations. This is incredibly important to our survival. It has also allowed us to afford part time administrative and membership support in the office. To prosper, we really need to evolve this into a full time national organiser role as we prepare for 2020/21 local, state and territory elections across Australia - not to mention a federal by-election in Eden-Monaro.
Eden-Monaro
If you're interested to put your hand up for Eden-Monaro, expressions of interest for candidature are now open.
Kind regards,
William
William Bourke
President
Sustainable Australia Party