The Minister for Planning Rob Stokes MP visited Wollongong today to give a speech on planning in the Illawarra but failed to publicly release the annual monitoring report promised in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Regional Plan.

The glossy 69-page Illawarra Shoalhaven Regional Plan was released last November and promised an:

…Annual Monitoring Report to provide detailed reporting against the outcomes of the Plan (page 14)

The Plan contains a six page summary of actions with a short, medium and long term focus.

It is important for Illawarra stakeholders to be aware of, and to be able to hold the Baird Liberal Government accountable, for the delivery of the objectives contained in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Regional Plan.

The last time the Baird Government promised an annual monitoring plan was in its Illawarra Regional Transport Plan.

That annual monitoring plan was released two long years after it was first promised and even then was just five pages of empty rhetoric.

Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:

“The Baird Government makes plenty of promises in their glossy documents.

“It promised delivery of an annual monitoring report to provide detailed reporting against the outcomes contained in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Plan.

“The Minister for Planning visited Wollongong today, delivered a speech which touched on progress but didn’t provide the annual monitoring report promised when the Plan was released 12 months ago this week.

“Government’s must be accountable to deliver on what they say and the monitoring report is key to this accountability.

“The promised annual monitoring report on the Illawarra Shoalhaven Regional Plan needs to be released now.”