THE Australian Government this week called for private companies to register their interest in developing and operating the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal in Sydney, which is planned to handle container traffic from interstate rail freight and Port Botany.

In a joint media release, Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese and Finance and Deregulation Minister Penny Wong said the call for Registrations of Interest from local and international companies and consortia represented a major milestone in the delivery of the project.

NEW South Wales Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian this week announced that the government will deliver brand new vessels, wharves and extra services starting from this year as part of a program to modernise Sydney's iconic ferries.

The initiatives form part of a new twenty-year strategy released by Transport for NSW, 'Sydney's Ferry Future – Modernising Sydney's Ferries', which outlines short and long term initiatives that aim to ensure that Sydney's ferry services will play an expanded role in the city's integrated transport system.

NEW South Wales Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian this week said early construction of the North West Rail Link will be ramping up after planning approval was received for the project's second Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The second EIS, which was placed on public exhibition at the end of October last year, focused on the design and operation of the rail link, as well as the eight proposed railway stations, commuter car parking, transport interchanges and surrounding precincts.

A PLANNING objective to achieve a net gain in the extent and quality of native vegetation in Victoria will be replaced with a new objective that aims to ensure that permitted clearing of native vegetation results in no net loss, under new reforms announced by the Victorian Government this week.

The reforms to the regulations for the permitted clearing of native vegetation aim to deliver better environmental outcomes and reduce confusion and costly green tape for landholders and farmers, according to the Victorian Government.

VICTORIAN Planning Minister Matthew Guy this week announced that planning responsibility for 21 strategic sites around Melbourne, including the Supreme Court, Malthouse Theatre and the University of Melbourne, will soon be handed back to a number of metropolitan councils.

Mr Guy said the decision to make councils responsible authorities for the sites – a number of which are activities areas or completed development sites – was demonstrative of the government's commitment to returning planning powers to local councils.

TASMANIAN planning reforms to introduce new planning schemes based on a common state-wide template are moving ahead, with Planning Minister Bryan Green this month declaring planning schemes for Northern Midlands and Break O'Day councils.

The declaration of the Northern Midlands Interim Planning Scheme 2013 and the Break O'Day Interim Planning Scheme 2013 follows the declaration of the state's first new planning scheme in October last year, the Launceston Interim Planning Scheme 2012.

WOOLWORTHS Limited is set to build a retail hub at Playford Alive's major town centre development, with construction expected to commence in March next year and be completed in early 2015.

The development, located on Peachey Road in Munno Para, north of Curtis Road, will include a Woolworths supermarket, Big W discount department store and a range of specialty shops and form a key component of the Playford Alive urban renewal project on the northern fringe of Adelaide.

NEW heritage legislation introduced last week by the ACT Government will help to ensure the balance of conservation is maintained whilst meeting the needs of a growing city, according to Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Simon Corbell.

The Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 aims to create a more simplified, open and transparent process for registering and protecting the ACT's heritage places and objects and follows a review of the Heritage Act 2004 in 2010, which was required under the provisions of the Act.

NEW South Wales Planning and Infrastructure Minister Brad Hazzard this week announced that the public consultation period for the draft Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney to 2031 has been extended from the end of May to June 28 – the same date that submissions close on the 'White Paper – A new planning system for NSW'.

"The end of the extended formal exhibition period, however, is not the end of our conversation with Sydneysiders," Mr Hazzard said, adding that the government is committed to working with residents and communities so they can help shape how their city will grow and evolve.

VICTORIAN Attorney-General Robert Clark last week announced that the government has modified key elements of the proposed new Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) fee structure, after considering community feedback from Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) consultations.

The RIS and proposed fee regulations for VCAT was published by the Department of Justice in December last year and proposed updated fee levels and fee structures, as well as some new fees in the case of new jurisdictions.