Member

The Minister argued in Committee that the statutory duty to regard mediation guidance would be inappropriate across planning activities, especially in application determinations where consensus is not always achievable. That, I feel, fundamentally misunderstands the point of mediation and its very nature: it is about not forcing consensus but fostering dialogue, allowing these conversations to take place so that solutions can be found that, because the parties own them and take part in them, are more likely to last and stay the distance.