My contribution today to debate on the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment Bill 2025 focuses on the implications the bill has for strategic planning. My motivation is pretty simple: I do not want to see strategic planning in Greater Sydney weakened. As a former mayor, I know firsthand the challenges councils face when trying to accommodate growth responsibly. We are given housing targets, we are pressured to approve rezonings, and yet we have no certainty about when and where infrastructure will be delivered. Without a State‑led strategic, long-term plan for Greater Sydney that is regularly updated, councils are left in the dark, and are forced to make decisions in isolation while our communities bear the consequences of poor planning, inadequate services and worsening congestion.

A region plan is essential to guide sustainable growth, infrastructure investment and land use planning across Sydney's interconnected metropolitan area. Without it, there is no overarching framework to coordinate housing, jobs, transport and environmental protections, leaving the city vulnerable to piecemeal development and infrastructure shortfalls. In its current form, the bill has the potential to weaken strategic planning in Greater Sydney by changing legislative requirements to firstly, not explicitly have a region plan for Greater Sydney; secondly, not require its review every five years; and, thirdly, for planning proposals to not have to adhere to the plan. Without a long-term, integrated plan for Greater Sydney, we risk uncoordinated urban expansion, leading to infrastructure deficits in, for example, schools, transport, public spaces and jobs, or development occurring in unsafe locations, such as bushfire‑prone areas.

That is very relevant to the northern beaches and my electorate of Wakehurst. Five-year housing targets are essential to addressing Sydney's housing crisis, but targets alone will not deliver a liveable, sustainable city. Without complementary strategic planning, we risk unchecked development that fails to balance economic, social and environmental needs. As climate change intensifies, the risks of bushfires, floods and coastal erosion become even more severe—I have seen it all in my electorate of Wakehurst—demanding proactive, spatially aware planning that integrates climate resilience and hazard mitigation into every aspect of urban development. That type of planning is essential. Growth must be planned, not just permitted, to ensure that housing is delivered safely, sustainably and in the right places. That is why I will be moving amendments to the bill.

A number of amendments, which I understand the Government has chosen not to support, would explicitly require the making of a regional plan for Greater Sydney and remove the ability under section 3.8 of the Act for regulations to override the need for planning proposals to align with a strategic plan. Strategic planning is not an optional extra. It is fundamental to delivering a well‑planned, liveable and resilient Sydney. I urge all members to consider the long-term consequences of removing those safeguards. However, I am pleased to have worked with the Government to agree on an amendment that regional plans will be reviewed every five years. That is an important safeguard that will help our planning system to be responsive, evidence based and hopefully aligned with Sydney's long-term needs.

I support the amendments foreshadowed by the member for Sydney, which are critical to ensuring continued public transparency and meaningful community engagement in planning decisions. I appreciate the opportunity to have worked with the Government on those amendments. I also thank and acknowledge the Committee for Sydney, which has engaged critically with the bill, bringing its planning expertise to bear in a sincere effort to improve the bill. I give a special shout-out to Estelle Gretch, who is a superstar.

(Debate resumed from 19 February 2025)

Read the entire reading of the Bill here.