Скачать или смотреть $19b worth of projects ‘stagnates’ under local government 'bureaucracy'

To re-energise the economy in the wake of COVID-19, local governments must stop acting as a “blocker” and accelerate the approval of $19 billion worth of projects across the nation, Housing Minister Michael Sukkar says.

The Homebuilder program announced by the federal government intends to support hundreds of thousands of jobs in the residential construction industry through $25,000 grants for new homes and renovations.

However, concerns have been raised over local governments who have been dragging the chain when it comes to approval time frames.

Mr Sukkar said “local government has to step up to the plate and make sure that they are meeting their statutory time frames “.

He pointed out local government planning and approval processes in Australia were “very slow,” when compared with international standards.

Mr Sukkar told Sky News host Chris Kenny the bureaucratic approval processes in the local government required “multi-disciplinary, multi-ministerial” reform.

In this new COVIDSafe world, “every level of government needs to put their shoulder to the wheel,” he said.

Image: News Corp Australia