Pat Austin

2022 candidate for Kangaroo Island Council.
Heritage survey responses.

1. Do you think that Councils and community members need to have a greater voice in planning and development decisions affecting their local area?
   Yes, especially where the development is sizeable and has an impact on the community.

2. What role should Councils play in protecting local heritage places from demolition or inappropriate development?
   Councils can have a key role to play, a direct role if listed as local heritage and an advocacy role if listed under state or national heritage.

3. How would you seek to improve protections for heritage places in your area?
   It would depend on what it was. If for instance a developer was planning to demolish a site containing a building of local significance, and the community were against it, then council needs to form a position on it and recommend a course of action that results in some form of preservation measure. You would start with clarifying the position to PlanSA in the stakeholder feedback, and you would be engaging with the developer. If those channels fail you could take the issue to the Minister.

4. We rarely see new places added to local heritage listings. Why do you think this is?
   Interesting question. Possibly people view heritage as “old and significant”. Might need an education campaign around what is heritage - looking backwards, looking forwards. The link between heritage and posterity. Adding to local listings would be a good way to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our heritage and the impact of the new heritage listing on the story of our life, our community’s life and our rich sense of shared place.

5. How has the Planning and Design Code impacted on the heritage, amenity, and environment of your area? What changes would you seek to the Code?
   Not substantially impacted.

6. What are the impacts of infill development in your area? What changes would you seek in the rules around infill development?
   Not too much infill development here on KI.

7. Construction of new housing typically uses 30% labour and 70% materials. Renovation of existing housing stock typically uses 70% labour and 30% materials. What policy changes would you like to see made to encourage people to renovate, rather than demolish and build anew?
   Housing is not getting demolished on KI. Everyone renovates. Even harder to get a builder/other tradies here than on mainland.

8. How should the community be informed and involved in decisions about new developments?
   Depends on the significance or impact of the development. If it’s just a conforming house in a suburban street for instance, nothing additional should be required. If it’s going to involve the knocking down of a locally listed wall, then public consultation process should kick in. I would be wary of creating new steps that don’t produce significant outcomes except tying up council officers with additional layers of work an process.

9. Do you think there is adequate tree canopy across your local government area?
   No but it’s a hard one here. Trying to strike a balance between tree corridors for wildlife and planning to mitigate fire.

10. How would you like to see significant and regulated trees in your area protected from removal?
    Fines. It’s not well policed - at least not on KI

11. What involvement should Councils have in decisions about protecting or removing significant and regulated trees?
    Depending on the significance, should be able to be dealt with by the administration if the guidelines are clear.

12. What actions would you advocate to slow or mitigate the impacts of climate change in your local government area?
    Impact to be considered in all council decisions. Changes to planning requirements in low lying areas - there are already AHD requirements for new builds. Support education campaigns, reduce council footprint eg change to electric fleet, engage with LGA work in this area, review all policies

13. What issues are there with traffic and parking in your area?
    Serious issues with truck parking in Penneshaw prior to loading onto ferry. SA Warer desal plant is being built where the trucks used to lay over. Otherwise all small townships.

14. How could transport options be improved in your area?
    There are no taxis or regular bus services on the island. No one can make enough of a profit to run them commercially. There is just an airport shuttle us and a Sealink shuttle bus to transfer travellers to an from Kingscote. It would be good to utilise Uber here.

15. What would your top three priorities be for improving planning policy and outcomes in your local government area?