Attachment C - Housing and Urban Development National Objectives
Council of Australian Governments' Communiqué
25 February 1994
The following national objectives noted by the Council of Australian Governments are intended to provide the basis for a shared national perspective on housing and urban development issues, with a view to promoting improved national economic performance, increased effectiveness of the social and environmental programs of each sphere of government, and enhanced housing and vocational choices of all Australians:
National objective 1
Coordination in urban development
To improve coordination in urban development within and between all jurisdictions, through strategic planning arrangements linked to budgetary processes which incorporate appropriate consultation with other jurisdictions, the community and industry.
National objective 2
Pricing and charging policies for urban infrastructure
To promote efficient and equitable patterns of urban settlement through pricing policies which take into account, as far as practicable, the environmental, social and economic costs and benefits in each location, based on the development of appropriate information bases to facilitate this.
National objective 3
Information on urban infrastructure capacity, condition and cost
To promote more effective planning, and infrastructure and budgetary coordination, and encourage more rational ratings systems, through the development and implementation of approaches leading to the collection of better data on the capacity, age and quality of existing physical and social urban infrastructure by location throughout Australian cities.
National objective 4
Land supply
To foster a coordinated approach to land supply involving: close links between land supply and the development of housing and urban physical and social infrastructure; and zoning processes which assist the efficient use of land.
National objective 5
Environmental sustainability
To promote more efficient and environmentally sound housing and vocational choices by developers and consumers through the development of mechanisms, including appropriate pricing mechanisms, which take better account of environmental costs and benefits.
National objective 6
Regulation
To contain the costs of housing and urban development and promote efficient expression of housing and locational choice through regulations and building codes which are performance based rather than prescriptive and approvals processes which are as streamlined as possible.
National objective 7
Taxation policies
As taxation systems are reviewed, governments to take account, inter alia, of the effect of taxation on the efficient use of land, the efficient expression of housing and locational choices.
National objective 8
Housing affordability
To achieve housing and urban development processes which incorporate due consideration of housing affordability, particularly for low income households.
National objective 9
Housing choice and appropriateness
To increase the range of housing options available to Australians appropriate to their needs and preferences throughout their lifecycles, through the reflection of these considerations in urban development processes.
National objective 10
Access to employment and services
To promote equity of access to employment and other services through the development of planning mechanisms both within and between governments which facilitate more coordinated development of housing and urban physical and social infrastructure.
National objective 11
Better information for housing consumers and developers
To facilitate improved information and education for housing developers and consumers on a range of housing options which may offer better environmental, social and financial housing alternatives and on the phasing of physical and social infrastructure in each location.
Further Work
The Council considers that it is particularly important, in advancing broader economic, environmental and social goals, to address in more detail the objectives relating to coordination and infrastructure pricing and charging. The Council considered that the across government implications of these issues make them particularly appropriate for consideration in this forum. The results would not be directive and would be available for jurisdictions to use as they best judged according to individual perspectives and circumstances. The Working Group will provide a report on further work to the next meeting of the Council scheduled for August 1994.
Return to COAG Communiqué - 25 February 1994