Mr. Paul Hogan:

The question was really about the legislative framework within which the policy sits. We are in a process to do with that legislative framework right now. We are awaiting, to the very day, the report of another committee of the House in relation to its evaluation of the draft Bill that was published and there is a lot of work to be done on that Bill to bring it forward.

Simply, there are approximately five things that the still-unfinished Bill will attempt to do. It will offer clear guidance as to what is mandatory and discretionary. It will strengthen the role of local development plans and increase the duration of the plans to ten years. It will provide a clearer context and longer defined timelines for decision-making in all respects. Therefore, the board will not have one 18-week period for all decisions, whether it is an extension or a large housing development.

It will address the question of environmental assessment in one part of the legislation, which has been added to over the years. It will also define the roles of the board as a planning commission and of the regulator and be accompanied by enhanced resourcing through what we have discussed today as well as in the local government sector and more widely.