STATEMENT BY TilE PRICE MINISTER, THE RT.
HON. WILLIAM icHiAHON, H. P.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, CANBERRA.
I REPORT OF THE COMtONWEALTH-STATE OFFICIALS'
COH14ITTEE ON DECENTRALISATION
OCTOBER, 1972
As I have indicated in answers to Parliamentary Questions,
the Commonwealth and State Governments received the Report of the
Commonwealth-State Officials' Committee on Decentralisation in June
of this year. I also indicated that the Commonwealth was agreeable
to the publication of the Report and that I was seeking the
agreement of the States to this course.
All the States have n'ew indicated their agreement to its
public release and the printing of the Report has now been completed.
In undertaking its task the Committee commissioned a number of
studies in some cases involv: ng outside bodies which are listed
as Attachment A of the Report. The printing of the studies in a
separate volume is proceeding, but because of their size and for
technical reasons it will be some time before the printing process is
completed. In the meantime, arrang w'ts have been made for copies of
the individual studies to be made available in the Parliamentary
Library. I mention that the Report is the work of officials of the
Commonwealth and the States and it does not therefore necessarily
represent the views of the Commonwealth and State Governments. The
Premier of New South Wales has asked me to point out that the views
expressed by the New South Wales' Department of Decentralisation and
Development in the supplementary statement to the Report should not be
taken as necessarily representing the views of the State Government.
As far as the Commonwealth is concerned, I said in my
Ministerial Statement of 19 September 1972 on Urban and Regional
Development that the Government endorses ' he view of the Committee
that the only type of decentralisation which offers significant
prospects of success is selective decentralisation. I also said that
we propose to establish a 1. inistexial Council, consisting of the Prime
Minister and Premiers: as the prinipal body for consultation and
co-ordination in the fields of urban and regional development. / 2
2.
The Premiers have been advised of the Commonwealth's initiative in
this area of urban and regional development.
So-far as Commonwealth machinery is concerned, we will
be introducing interim legislation shortly to establish a statutory
organisation to be known as the National Urban and Regional
Development Authority.