NSW New Certification Powers for the Minister for Planning

Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Certification) Bill 2024

12 Nov 2024: Passed by Parliament and signed off by the governor.

This bill kicks in: TBA

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Council

Assent

Share this bill

Email Facebook X Bluesky

Topics

building certificates building standards development consent land subdivision port infrastructure urban planning

Introduced by: The Hon Paul Scully MP (ALP); The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC (ALP)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Official page: bill text and explanatory notes

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

The Planning Minister is now a certifier for development where the Planning Minister granted consent.
The Planning Minister or their delegate does not need to be registered to do certification work.
Newcastle Port Corporation, Transport for NSW, and operators of the Botany Bay, Newcastle, and Kembla ports can issue subdivision certificates for their own subdivisions.
Transport for NSW can issue subdivision certificates for development it approved.
People named in the regulations can issue subdivision certificates for specific developments; they must notify the Planning Secretary in writing within 21 days.
Four specific occupation certificates from 2020, 2021, and 2023 are now legally valid.
The regulations can now set fees for building information certificates.

The Debate

What different members said when this bill was debated:

Scott Farlow LIB

“The Opposition supports the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Certification) Bill 2024. The bill is a necessary step in ensuring that critical planning and certification powers are permanently reintroduced for the effective management of our most sensitive and important natural and urban areas.”

Official source →

Sue Higginson GRN

“The Greens certainly will not be opposing the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Certification) Bill 2024.”

Official source →

Mark Buttigieg ALP

“I most graciously thank all members for their contributions, particularly Ms Sue Higginson and the Hon. Scott Farlow. I thank crossbench and Coalition members for their support.”

Official source →

News articles and press releases

Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Certification) Bill 2024

Mr PAUL SCULLY, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces — 2024-09-18

The bill permanently reintroduces powers for essential specialist building certification services that were inadvertently removed by amendments to the Act in 2018 and that have since been maintained through savings and transitional provisions.