The Environmental Defenders Office (SA) Inc (“the EDO”) is an independent community legal centre with over twenty years of experience specialising in environmental and planning law. EDO functions include legal advice and representation, law reform and policy work and community legal education.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Discussion Paper. However, our response is somewhat hampered by the overwhelming amount of critical consultation occurring in a very short amount of time in relation to the roll out of the system which we say is in direct contradiction to the purpose and principles contained in the Community Engagement Charter. We also query that given new layers in the system, for example categories of development and decision making bodies whether one of the key goals, namely a simplified system, will be achieved.
