AGY-2156 | Publicity Branch [State Planning Authority]

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Publicity was a program adopted soon after the incorporation of the State Planning Authority. It is unclear where the branch fell in the administrative structure of the agency, but likely that it was located in the Secretariat. The activities of the section included providing information, statements and articles for the media, documentary film groups, members of the public generally and school children. The section published a quarterly journal 'SPAN' which was distributed to councils, government departments, libraries , professional bodies and interested members of the public. Regular media conferences were held addresses were given. (1) By 1971 demand for exhibitions and displays related to the activity of the Authority were increasing. Displays in the Authority’s office and elsewhere were popular and covered planning topics such as the Sydney Region Outline Plan, the City of Sydney Planning Scheme and other local planning schemes. The information provision became more specialised with information of land zoning and the progress of planning schemes being the most usual questions and more detailed questions were by the appropriate staff. In the year ended 30 June, 1976 82,108 inquiries were handled on the subject of zoning alone. The library was one of the state’s major special libraries in the field of town planning with 1600 books, and subscriptions to 187 journals. (2) The branch was abolished in February, 1976 when the Community Relations and Publications Section was formed. Endnotes: (1) Report of the State Planning Authority of New South Wales for the year ended 30 June, 1967 p. 27 (2) Report of the State Planning Authority for the year ended 30 June, 1971 p. 25-26