Following revelations that the Planning Minister may have withheld from the Premier a report questioning floodplain modelling, the Opposition is calling on the Government to pause decisions in the North-West Growth corridor and to release the Owens report.
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said that it was concerning if the Government is relying on outdated information to make decisions that affect new housing developments, and that potentially drive up people’s insurance premiums and drive down their land values.
“The Planning Minister has questions to answer about the modelling that the Minns Labor Government has been relying on, and whether a report by the former Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Owens APM had been intentionally ignored,” Mr Speakman said.
“For most people their home is their largest investment. Decisions like this have a fundamental impact on people’s property and its incumbent on the Government to get these decisions right,” Mr Speakman said.
Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Scott Farlow, called on the Government to release the report from Mr Owens.
“Models are only as good as the data that is put into them and if there is a question on the adequacy of the data, then the Government should pause its decisions until the information can be fully scrutinised.”
“Dave Owens is a highly respected former Deputy Police Commissioner who has been tasked in the past with the 2019-20 NSW Bushfire Inquiry and the 2017 Independent Northern Rivers flooding review,” Mr Farlow said.
“The Minister needs to tell the community if he had provided Mr Owens’ report to the Premier and Cabinet, and if not why not. So that landholders can have all the information, the Minister should publicly release Mr Owens’ report.”
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