PUBLIC SERVANT OR MERELY SERVILE TO MINISTERS
Yesterday we reported that NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman had declined to answer questions on Land and Environment Court case law judgments and the proprietary rights of Residents who acquired residential dwellings fully aware of the Planning instruments that specifically prohibit short-term holiday rentals. Mark Speakman had passed our correspondence to Planning and Housing Minister Anthony Roberts.
After sending yesterday’s Media Release to Members of Parliament we were contacted in writing by the Acting Executive Director Planning Policy and advised that the Hon Anthony Roberts had asked her to respond on his behalf.
We were told our “concerns” over the conversion of residential housing to short-term tourist/visitor accommodation – but one can no longer refer to it as such - are “appreciated”. Not surprising there was neither acknowledgement of nor response to any of the legal and legislative questions we posed. Instead, one is “encouraged to visit planning.nsw.gov.au/STHL - which of course equates to short-term HOLIDAY letting- to find out more about the proposed amendments and to make another submission to Parliament prior to 16 October”.
A highly respected former (retired) NSW Public Servant’s reaction:
"The NSW State Planning Department intends to define all short term accommodation in residential dwellings as permissible. Stating that short-term rental accommodation is not classed as tourist or visitor accommodation. That anyone using the premises for holidays are (sic) not to be classed as tourists or visitors. If the house is used, or can be used as a dwelling, then short-term rentals are permitted regardless of any council planning regulations. These premises can be rented by the hour, day, weeks or months.
Funny how these places will be advertised on all holiday/tourists/Airbnb sites. What do you call people who use these places for their holidays????? Remember we can’t call them tourists or visitors…maybe we can officially call them 'blow-ins’.
(And) funny how NSW used to be (a) democracy…more like China these days, with autocratic rule being the norm, and you can change the definitions when you feel like it. Wonder what definition for visitor or tourist will appear in the Dictionaries? Talk about rights being trampled."
One also seriously wonders what 'service'our Public Servants provide these days; whether they ‘serve’ the Public in any way or are now merely servile to NSW State Ministers.
Homes not Hotels Communities not Transit Zones People before Profits
Neighbours not Strangers
