NSW appoints Lucy Turnbull as Greater Sydney Commission head

Former Sydney Lord Mayor Lucy Turnbull has been appointed as the head of the Greater Sydney Commission. The commission is an initiative by the state government to oversee planning and development across Sydney.

“The Greater Sydney Commission has the Greater potential to be a transformational way of having a collaborative working model for state and local government which has often not been the case in metropolitan Sydney,” she said as quoted by Fairfax Media.

The commission will create plans for the development of the city. It will be required to operate jointly with local councils on the development of planning controls, but the ultimate power to approve and disapprove things would remain in the commission’s hands. In the commission, there will be 13 members scincluding the chairperson, who will be finally reporting to Planning Minister Rob Stokes.

Stokes favoured the formation of the new organisation in Sydney and praised Turnbull’s appointment . “I have never met someone more passionate about Sydney than Lucy,” Australian Financial Review quoted Stokes as saying.

“She will lead the Commission and be tasked with better coordinating delivery of the homes and jobs we need, as well as access to outdoor space and liveable communities. I am also excited that we have been able to attract people of the calibre of Heather Nesbitt, Rod Simpson and Geoff Roberts to the Commission.”

The Greater Sydney Commission will have independent environment, economic and social commissions, along with six different commissioners appointed by the minister on recommendation of the council. The heads of Planning and Environment department, NSW Treasury and NSW Transport departments will also sit on the commission.

Chief executive of Turnbull’s advocacy group Tim Williams said that it would be the most productive decision for Sydney if she was selected as the head of the commission, while the Greens and some conservation groups have criticised the powers of the commission, saying it could lead to loss of control over bushland and the environment.

Turnbull held the position of Lord Mayor of Sydney from 2003-04. She also served as a board member of various non-profit organisations and is currently the board member of the United States Studies Centre at Sydney University. She married Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in 1980.

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