Report

Card for the NSW Government

SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE
The NSW Baird Government has performed strongly in the Sydney but its performance in the restofnsw needs
improvement. Carr Government red tape and bureaucracy are still strangling prosperity in the restofnsw and
attempts at reform in areas of Local Government, planning and land management have been chaotic and
ineffective. Infrastructure upgrades are planned for the Newell Highway but restofnsw has not received
significant infrastructure funding. The Government has however not received the credit due to it for reforming
mining policy and has done a good job advocating for the interests of NSW in respect of the Murray Darling
Basin Plan.

POLICY AREA

RED TAPE AND

BUREACRACY

PLANNING

3 MINING

GRADE

COMMENT
Red Tape and Bureaucracy of the Carr Government still remain
largely intact. Indeed the NSW Government has conducted
numerous reviews and inquiries in the restofnsw which have not
been actioned. The worst example is Crown Lands Review where
the Government has not finalised a process started three and a
half years ago in June 2012. Service NSW Centres are yet to be
rolled out in the restofnsw .
Minimal progress has been made on the promised Regional

Growth Plans while all of NSW Plannings priority projects

located in Sydney.

Good start on attempts to strike a balance between landowner

and community impacts of mining. The Government was left a
huge mess by the previous Labor Government and it has not
received credit for its efforts to unwind tensions between
landowners, communities and miners.

While the Murray Darling Plan still needs reform the NSW
Government has started representing local communities by
WATER
limiting water buy backs. The lower Darling is not flowing.
B

The Governments primary efforts in relation to regional
development have been various ineffective grant schemes such
as the regional relocation grant. Rather than ineffective grants
the Government needs to provide the restofnsw with a fair share


of infrastructure funding and remove the red tape/bureaucracy
D
5 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
strangling the restofnsw . Reform of the Governments regional
planning and land management policies is fundamental to
encouraging regional development.

restofnsw inc.
WENTWORTH NSW 2648
PO Box 448

info@restofnsw.org

INFRASTRUCTURE

7 LOCAL GOVERNMENT

8 LAND MANAGEMENT

D






D
E

The Government was courageous in arguing for the partial long

term lease of urban poles and wires but 70% of this funding is to
be spent on specific Sydney projects. NSW Mining royalties, all
generated in the regions, fund a small Resources for Regions fund
but predominantly go to consolidated revenue. Beyond the
Newell HWY the restofnsw has only been promised various grant
schemes. The Government should sell the remaining poles and
wires in all of NSW and offer 70% of the funds to restofnsw
projects.

The Governments reform process has so far only distracted
Local Government from core responsibilities. The NSW
Government has refused to address its own red tape and
bureaucracy while putting the blame on local communities.
Most of the Carr Government anti-farmer land management
policies remain in place. The Government has promised, after
four years of inaction, to reform Native Vegetation laws. Reform
of the outdated Western Lands Act remain bogged down by the
uncompleted Crown Lands Review. On the other hand the
Government deserves praise for the recently passed Biosecurity
Bill 2015 and Local Lands Services is a slight improvement on the
earlier CMA model. Land management is an area where farmers
are calling for significant, rather than incremental, reform.

restofnsw inc.
PO Box 448 WENTWORTH NSW 2648
info@restofnsw.org