UDIA maintains that to date, the Biodiversity Conservation Act has failed to deliver ecologically sustainable development and the Act has had a detrimental impact on achieving the NSW Government’s strategic goals for conservation, housing and jobs. There is a housing shortage in NSW, and unfortunately, the implementation of the BC Act is a significant contributing factor.
Our submission addresses what in our view are the Act’s fundamental failings and recommends ways to improve the BC Act to support better outcomes for biodiversity conservation as well as deliver the housing and jobs called for under the NSW strategic planning framework.