AGY-3805 | Landcom

Full description

The corporatisation of Landcom represented the culmination of a long period of transition for the organisation. (1) Landcom was established as a statutory corporation by the Landcom Corporation Act, 2001 (Act No.129, 2001). This Act received assent on 19 December 2001 and 1 January 2002 was appointed as the day of commencement. (2)

The principal objectives of Landcom were as follows:
(a) to be a successful business;
(b) to exhibit a sense of social responsibility by having regard to the interests of the community in which it operates;
(c) to protect the environment by conducting its operations in compliance with the principles of ecologically sustainable development;
(d) to exhibit a sense of responsibility towards regional development and decentralisation in the way in which it operates;
(e) to undertake, or assist the Government in undertaking, strategic or complex urban development projects;
(f) to assist the Government in achieving its urban management objectives;
(g) to be a responsible developer of residential, commercial and industrial land. (3)

The principal functions of Landcom were:
(a) to undertake and participate in residential, commercial, industrial and mixed development projects, and
(b) to provide advice and services related to urban development, on a commercial basis, to government agencies and others. (4)

The board of Landcom was made up of seven directors appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of the voting shareholders. (5) Landcom had the ability to acquire or dispose of real property up to the value of 30 million dollars. (6)

Landcom was a standing member of the Joint Industry Housing Group, a private sector led group of industry representatives with a real concern for affordable housing and a charter to develop a public-private partnership approach to address this issue. (7) In an effort to protect the environment and conduct ecologically sustainable development, Landcom was involved in a number of initiatives including, innovations in water cycle management, the introduction of sustainable energy technologies, training of onsite contractors in responsible environmental management, and the introduction of Triple Bottom Line Reporting which focuses on environmental; social and financial performance. (8)

In 2013, Landcom started trading as UrbanGrowth NSW (formerly Sydney Metropolitan Development Authority). The new name signified a change in direction and a new government mandate for the organisation. The two corporations shared a CEO to ensure alignment between their businesses and reported to the Minister for Planning and portfolio ministers, activities widened from housing supply of predominantly greenfield development to a new focus on delivering a portfolio of seven major urban renewal and infill programs. (9)

The NSW Government reassigned UrbanGrowth NSW's portfolio into three separate organisations under the Administrative Arrangements (Administration of Acts—Amendment No 1) Order 2017. (10) This followed a recommendation by an independent government review and resulted in separation of UrbanGrowth NSW Development Corporation and the state-owned corporation (the portfolio separation). The state-owned corporation returned to the Landcom name, and separate CEOs were appointed for the two organisations. Landcom was refocused to take an active role in supporting the NSW Government's housing agenda including increasing housing affordability, supply and diversity. (11)

From 1 January 2024, when the Department of Planning and Environment was split into two departments, Landcom continued to report to the renamed Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. (12)

Endnotes
1. Landcom, Annual Report, 2002, p.4.
2. Government Gazette No.196, 21 December 2001, p.10443.
3. Landcom Corporation Act, 2001 (Act No.129, 2001) Part 2 section 6.
4. Landcom Corporation Act, 2001 (Act No.129, 2001) Part 2 section 7.
5. Landcom Corporation Act, 2001 (Act No.129, 2001) Part 2 section 8.
6. Landcom Corporation Act, 2001 (Act No.129, 2001) Part 3 section 15 (1).
7. Landcom, Annual Report, 2002, p.29.
8. Landcom, Annual Report, 2002, p.32.
9. Landcom website, https://www.landcom.com.au/organisation/history/#element-accordion-1051 (accessed 17 November 2022).
10. Administrative Arrangements (Administration of Acts—Amendment No 1) Order 2017 (2017 No 78), NSW Legislation Website, 13 March 2017.
11. UrbanGrowth Annual Report 2018, p.11.
12. Administrative Arrangements (Administrative Changes—Miscellaneous) Order (No 6) 2023 (2023 No 648) Sch.1 cl.20, NSW Legislation Website, 6 December 2023, amending Administrative Arrangements (58th Parliament) Order 2023, (2023 No 137), NSW Legislation Website, 5 April 2023.