August 2022

It’s been a busy and exciting time for the State Planning Commission in recent days, as we release our new Strategic Plan 2022-23 that will guide our key priorities over the coming year.

South Australia is on the cusp of great change, as hi-tech industry sectors such as space research, cyber security, and renewables – including the Government’s planned new Hydrogen Power Plant – create exciting opportunities for growth, not only in Adelaide but out in the regions.

COVID has, of course, also been a catalyst for the global evolution of work, and we’re likely to see continued strong demand among employees for flexible, work-from-home arrangements – which could have significant flow-on effects for the growth of peri-urban communities.

Our role as the State Planning Commission is to identify all the opportunities that lie before us as a state and ensure that planning is an enabler, not an inhibitor, of that change.

To that end, our Strategic Plan 2022-23 sets Planning for Growth and Change as one of our four key strategies, complemented by:

• Enhancing our Planning System
• Leading on Planning Policy
• Discharging Statutory Obligations

Our challenge is to ensure that state and local government, as well as business and community work together to plan for that projected change, so that we consider what transport and social infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and other facilities are required to support those communities.

The Commission will lead the development of six regional plans across South Australia and progress the review of the The 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide. We will engage collaboratively with Local Government and, through them, their local communities and businesses as part of the Strategic Plan.

We will also seek to respond to our changing climate by:

• Progressing the review of trees policy and regulation,
• Finalising the Bushfire Hazards Code Amendment, and
• Progressing the flood mapping and policy development.

We look forward to providing regular updates on our progress and invite you to view our Strategic Plan and Key Priorities Brochure.

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