Mr. Pat Farrell:

In our submission, we said that, first, we would support the concept of mandatory timelines. What is very important is certainty and understanding, when someone enters a process, as to how long it is going to take to get out the other end and get a clear result, whatever the result might be. Then, in regard to a tiered system of statutory timelines, we are saying that 18 weeks is a reasonable timeframe for normal appeals. With more complex cases that include strategic investment, infrastructure development or large-scale residential development, they need timelines that will reflect the complexity of that case.