Objective Rules and Tests
Project Background
DAF believes that providing clear objective rules and tests is a more efficient and less ambiguous way to deal with development processes and will reduce assessment timeframes.
Status Report
DAF is currently finalising a guideline on objective rules and tests to help local governments and referral agencies simplify and clearly explain the outcomes they desire for development assessment.
The draft Short Guide for Writing Objective Rules and Tests is designed to help planners write good development assessment requirements and to promote the use of objective rules and tests as a way of expressing development assessment requirements.
Sometimes it is unclear to applicants what information is expected by a development assessment requirement and how a decision will be made. Objective rules and tests clearly and transparently set out what is necessary to meet a requirement.
The guide is a step toward greater national consistency in the way development assessment requirements are expressed. Although planning instruments can be different in their construction there are common categories of requirements. The guide explores how objective rules and tests can be applied to these categories and how greater uniformity across jurisdictions can be achieved.
The draft Short Guide for Writing Objective Rules and Tests has now been released for a two month consultation period from 23 July to 23 September 2009. Once any submissions have been considered, the document will be finalised.
Please send submissions to DevelopmentAssess@infrastructure.gov.au before the close of business Wednesday 23 September 2009.
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