4 Ideas for a Simpler System
31 AUGUST 2020
Simplicity – freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts
The NSW Government, through the NSW Productivity Commission, is undertaking a comprehensive review of the NSW infrastructure contributions system. Recently the Commission exhibited an issues paper, inviting industry and community feedback on the key issues facing the system.
The Commission articulates four principles of a well-functioning contributions system to be applied to test reform options, namely Efficiency, Equity, Certainty and Simplicity.
We 100% agree with the Commission that Simplicity is to be the ‘essential design principle’ that will underpin proposed reforms. We have therefore used Simplicity as the theme of our submission.
The 4 Ideas for a Simpler System focus on system-wide initiatives, and we acknowledge that they do not provide an answer to all issues (for instance we have not dealt with the subject of Planning Agreements). Our goal in putting these ideas forward was to focus on actions that will have biggest impact in achieving, or at least getting closer to, the essential goal – Simplicity.