Victoria Stone-Meadows

Douglas Shire residents will soon have a clearer picture of where Council’s revenue is spent under new amendments to the state planning system.

The amendments will require all Queensland Councils to publish the amount of infrastructure charges being collected from developers and where that money is being spent.

Currently, the Douglas Shire Council publishes how much it collects in developer infrastructure charges, along with with other revenue sources, in their budget papers.

In the Council’s budget papers for the 2018/19 financial year, the statement of income shows $250,000 was collected via “Contributions from developers”.

However, it is not clear in the budget exactly where this revenue was allocated in the Council’s expenditure.

Under Council’s Revenue General Policy, Council requires developers to pay reasonable and relevant contributions towards the cost of physical and social infrastructure required to support the development.

A Douglas Shire Council spokesperson said Council is currently reviewing if its reporting procedures need to change under the new regulations. 

“Council was aware of the intentions of the new requirements by the Queensland Government and welcomes the announcement of the implementation.

“Council provides similar reporting under the annual reporting legislative requirements and is currently reviewing how we will implement the additional requirements to be public in the future.”

The spokesperson said the fees collected from developers in the Douglas Shire is earmarked for specific purposes such as roads/transport network, public spaces, water, and waste water.

“We will continue to work with our Peak body and our Far North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils counterparts to implement these changes,” the spokesperson said.

Queensland Minister for Planning, Cameron Dick, said the changes will give the public an understanding of how development impacts on the wider community.

“The amendments will create a better understanding of how development activity benefits the broader community, through improved infrastructure and services such as stormwater, transport, public parks and land for community facilities,” he said.

“It will also highlight the considerable infrastructure being delivered by local councils to support regional growth.” 

The new regulations will start on 1 January 2020 and will include publishing information such as infrastructure charges notices and documents used in the review, making or amendment of a local government infrastructure plan.

Property Council of Australia’s Queensland Executive Director Chris Mountford said increased transparency relating to development is good for everyone.

He said the current lack of transparency around the collection and spending of infrastructure charges has contributed to community concerns that development occurs without the necessary local infrastructure upgrades.

“What is often not understood is that all new developments are required to make a significant contribution to the cost of upgrading local government infrastructure as part of their approval,” he said.

“Until now, it has been difficult for the community to see the expected correlation between growth and development, and the associated infrastructure that should be delivered by council.”