No, you couldn’t make this up: With mud still being hosed out of destroyed houses, the NSW Planning Minister scrapped a two-week-old requirement to consider the risks of floods and fires before building new homes. Yes, the minister does have a reputation for listening to the property development industry which, unsurprisingly, endorsed his decision. Well, you know, it was “red tape”.

“The committee chair decided that the report would focus primarily on ‘market housing’ with ‘non-market’ housing for the growing number of ‘individuals and families who are unable to fully afford market prices’ relegated to a single chapter. That chapter was strongly influenced by the blanket statement that ‘the government should avoid being one’s landlord’.”

Source: Michael Pascoe: Federal and NSW Liberal Party delivering for developers