Estate Development ..finances?

My partner and I are establishing ourselves in the same ‘career’ as my father and sister, Estate Developing.
My family will be a perfect resource at helping us out, although I would like to find out a few of the basics before I discuss with them.

Firstly, how long (on average) does it take to receive council permits for sub-division?
Are there any books you know of that will help us with codes like Residential A, B, etc?
And in the book ‘Retire Young, Retire Rich’ we were informed about the U.S economy and how they can borrow their Tax and use it as a deposit.. is this the same case in Australia?

Thanks for your replies before.
-Beth MacLeod