Simon Crean has announced the release of the review of the National Capital Authority by the king of reviewers, Dr Allan Hawke.
“Dr Hawke’s report provides important advice on how we can achieve this in the lead-up to the Centenary of Canberra in 2013.”
The report’s recommendations include:
— Simplifying the planning system and better recognising the role of the ACT Government;
— Options to enable the NCA to operate under existing resources;
— Developing a five-year plan of information and education activities; and
— Reinforcing the NCAs recent improvements in public accountability and refines its role in fostering awareness of Canberra as the national capital.
The report itself has this to say:
The inescapable fact is that the NCA is not ?nancially sustainable under current funding levels. The abolition of an entire function and/or a major change to the form of the agency would be required to achieve sustainability within existing resources. This would be perceived as an abrogation of the Commonwealth’s responsibility for the national capital.
Which doesn’t seem to be what the Federales want to hear.
Reactions:
— Senator Humphries says the Government must up the funding (at considerable length).
