About the Investment Delivery Authority
The NSW Government has established the Investment Delivery Authority (IDA) to make it easier for businesses to invest, build and create jobs in NSW. The IDA will accelerate approvals for eligible domestic and international projects.
An Authority to attract and accelerate major investment
The IDA facilitates and accelerates major private investment projects in NSW and supports productivity by helping remove barriers that may hinder successful delivery.
It does this through three core functions:
- Recommending projects to receive fast-track planning support and/or options for non-planning support, based on an Expression of Interest (EOI) process.
- Facilitating endorsed projects to enable timely decision making subject to all statutory approvals.
- Advising on system-wide reforms that promote investment, competition and productivity in NSW.
What IDA endorsement does (and does not) mean
It’s important to note that when a project is endorsed by the IDA, this does not mean planning approvals have been provided or guarantee they will be provided. Endorsed projects must still satisfy all applicable requirements under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) and any other relevant legislation and policies (including, where applicable, Australia’s foreign investment framework).
Planning and regulatory decisions remain with the relevant consent authorities.
How does the IDA support businesses to deliver investments in NSW?
Projects supported through the IDA receive practical, non-financial support to help address delivery challenges and move projects forward. Support is tailored to the project, time-limited, and adjusted as issues are resolved.
In practice, IDA support can include:
- a concierge service to coordinate engagement with NSW Government agencies.
- whole-of-government problem-solving (state, local and Australian government levels) to help resolve issues such as infrastructure connections, sequencing, or regulatory complexity.
- early engagement to clarify requirements and reduce delays before formal planning assessment, including support from a dedicated planning assessments team within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
The IDA also supports NSW Government to learn from delivery barriers and use that evidence to inform broader system-wide reforms that make it easier to invest in NSW over time.
How is the IDA structured?
The IDA comprises the Secretary of the Premier’s Department, the Treasury Secretary, the Secretary of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure and the Chief Executive of Infrastructure NSW.
The IDA will consider projects received through the EOI process and will make recommendations to the Treasurer, the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces and the Minister for Industry and Trade.
The IDA is supported by
- a dedicated team who evaluates EOIs, provides a concierge service to proponents through a dedicated single point of contact, and identifies opportunities to improve systemic barriers across government and develop proposed solutions.
- a multi-agency Investment Taskforce comprised of representatives from departments and agencies who are responsible for coordinating cross-government advice and streamlining the delivery of projects.
- a dedicated IDA planning assessments team in the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to coordinates the assessment of all projects under the EP&A Act (carrying out relevant administrative functions, coordinating inputs from State and Commonwealth agencies and working with councils to ensure local and regional issues are considered).
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Productivity growth in NSW is low and declining – averaging only 0.5% per annum over the past ten years.
Challenges and uncertainty coordinating with state agencies, securing necessary enabling infrastructure and navigating the planning system, are some of the issues faced by businesses and investors when it comes to progressing major projects in NSW.
The IDA addresses these problems. It identifies barriers that are unnecessarily delaying major investment projects, while proactively advising on broader options for system-wide reform.
The IDA is guided by a robust governance, operating and probity framework and maintains the highest standards of integrity in communications, interactions and operations.
The Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) is a pathway for eligible housing projects to be declared State Significant Development, with a primary focus on accelerating planning assessment for residential projects.
The Development Coordination Authority (DCA) is being established as a one-stop shop for expert inputs from the NSW Government on development applications and planning proposals. The DCA will provide a single, coordinated response from the NSW Government on complex matters, eliminating the need to navigate up to 22 different areas of the government.
The IDA is different again. It focuses on major, primarily non‑residential investments and provides both planning and non‑planning facilitation to help remove delivery barriers that sit outside the planning system.
The IDA offers a dedicated concierge service to endorsed projects and project facilitation, with a multi-agency Taskforce dedicated to facilitating coordination between government agencies.
The IDA actively monitors the progress of projects approved through the EOI process to facilitate delivery and continuous improvement.
The IDA also identifies and advises on opportunities for broader system-wide reforms, including potential productivity and competition reforms.
The Unsolicited Proposals (USP) process remains unchanged. Unsolicited proposals provide opportunities for the NSW Government and the non-government sector to work together to develop and deliver innovative ideas, places, services and infrastructure.
The USP process is a unique pathway for non-government organisations to approach the NSW Government with commercial proposals that have not been formally requested and are not suitable for existing procurement processes (such as a competitive market process) but are aligned with government’s objectives and deliver value for money. Visit the USP website for more information about the USP process.
The IDA is a pathway for large ($1 billion estimated development cost or more) private sector projects (domestic and international) which are well-defined, strategically aligned to government priorities and able to commence quickly.
Yes. All IDA projects that are endorsed would subsequently need to satisfy all applicable requirements under the EP&A Act, and may need to comply with additional legislation and policies at the local, State and Australian Government level, depending on the nature of the project.
It’s important to note that when a project is endorsed by the IDA, this does not mean that planning approvals have been provided or form a guarantee that they will be provided. The normal planning processes will still be required for a project.