Vision for Sydney 2030 must go beyond platitudes

Still in the “inspire, research and engage” stage of a series of 5-year plans, Sustainable Sydney 2030 is not just concerned with the physical environment, but the broader goal of ecologically sustainable development (“ESD”) which encompasses environmental, economic and social considerations. Everyone says they want it, but how do you turn a platitude into a policy?

One thing that is unclear is how Sustainable Sydney 2030 will balance present-day economic interests with the interests of a future community, many of whose members are not yet born.

Let us not forget that most debates about the environment revolve around the competition between those who desire the freedom to exploit natural resources – at the possible expense of the survival of ecosystems – versus those who argue in favour of the rights of future generations to inherit an environment that sustains them.

Governments and corporations are often criticised for favouring short-term interests over long-term strategic plans. The reason they do so is that their public – voters and shareholders – are overwhelmingly concerned about their own short-term benefits more than the interests of tomorrow’s community.

No longer do people save for a rainy day – they prefer to pay Foxtel to provide them with more TV viewing options.

Give us a tax cut any day – it is more attractive to the voting public than a plan to invest in solar, wind and geothermal power to assure Australia’s energy security.

The first round of consultation with residents, businesses, community groups and “leading thinkers” has recently been undertaken to identify the broad aims and directions of the 2030 project. More than 1,000 individuals participated directly in those forums, but the results are not yet available.

There is also a “Have Your Say” page on the City of Sydney website, to which 132 people have responded so far. (By the way, don’t miss the opportunity to have your say by going to: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Development/2030/HaveYourSay.asp.

I hope that Sydney can go the way of Perth, where innovative ideas have been harvested from the community and adopted as the city’s planning policy. But there, the initiative had West Australian state government support for a consultation program that sought out not only the passionate defenders of the environment, and other usual suspects, but also the marginalised silent majority who live in this world of ours but may not necessarily ever think consciously about the environment.

And after the consultation is over, when the stakeholders have spoken, will anything have changed? Will developers still take Council to court over their (often favourable, in my opinion) section 94 contributions? Will Council be able to implement sustainable building regulations in the face

of a state government intent on disregarding environmental impacts? I am also bursting with curiosity to know how City of Sydney will foster innovation in infrastructure planning.

Ultimately, this will all depend on whether City of Sydney can break away from “business as usual” and actually regulate for a more sustainable society. Only then will the

views of the community be more than just platitudes.

If you would like to suggest environmental issues in South Sydney that need investigation, please contact Anna Christie by email: environment@annachristie.com.au

Source South Sydney Herald September 2007 - www.southsydneyherald.com.au