Greens candidate for Canberra Tim Hollo promises reform push for NCA, calls agency a 'debacle'

Tim Hollo will on Sunday announce a plan aiming to make the agency, which oversees Commonwealth land in the capital, more democratic.

"The NCA is a debacle that has lost the confidence of the Canberra community, who see how it shepherds the development proposals it is supposed to approve and sidelines the voices of the people," Mr Hollo said.

"One of my top priorities, if elected, is to reform the NCA. I would facilitate a community-wide discussion of what we would like to see from a body such as the NCA. At the same time, I would seek a formal review of the NCA's activities, processes, and decisions."

Mr Hollo has promised to establish a parliamentary inquiry into the agency to recommend legislative changes, a form of memorandum of understanding between the Commonwealth and ACT government setting out areas of responsibility, and what funding and resources are needed for the authority.

It would also recommend on whether any areas should be moved to ACT government management.

The Greens candidate said if elected he would also establish an informal process parallel with the inquiry to determine what the community wanted from national planning in the city, and would push for specific questions to be referred to the Australian National Audit Office.

Mr Hollo also vowed to move changes to legislation granting individuals and community organisations standing to appeal, abolishing early works approvals, and creating an independent process for appointments to the NCA board.

A Greens paper on the agenda said the NCA had lost the confidence of the Canberra community, and ignored the wishes of the community.

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"The NCA is a debacle that has lost the confidence of the Canberra community, who see how it shepherds the development proposals it is supposed to approve and sidelines the voices of the people," the paper said.

"Community wishes are ignored, and the National Capital Plan is undermined time after time. The low confidence in the NCA and related planning authorities has major impacts on both specific planning outcomes and on general confidence in democracy."

The party said the NCA's management of the parliamentary zone had been used increasingly to frustrate the will of the community and to back developers, rather than ensure good planning.

"Its management of sensitive ecological areas within its designated area, including Lake Burley Griffin, grasslands, and grassy woodlands, has also been a disaster. It has neither the expertise, nor resources, nor seeming interest, in better management."

Mr Hollo is running again this election for the seat of Canberra, held by Labor MP Alicia Payne, who won the electorate in 2019 with 40.5 per cent of the primary vote against 23.3 per cent for the Greens candidates and 27.8 per cent for the Liberals.

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