The draft Land Use Planning and Approvals Amendment (Development Assessment Panels) Bill 2024 has been voted down by the Tasmanian Parliament’s Upper House.
From Planning Matters Tasmania https://planningmatterstas.org.au/
Legislation to create a Development Assessment Panel (DAP) was voted down by the Tasmanian Parliament’s Upper House on 29 November 2024. The proposed legislation would have empowered the Planning Minister to remove the assessment and approval of developments from established local government processes and have it done by Development Assessment Panels (DAPs). This fast-track process would remove elected councillors from having a say on the most controversial and destructive developments affecting local communities. Under the legislation there would have been no right for the community to appeal the final decision to the planning tribunal.
The proposed legislation would have enabled virtually any development (except for industrial and mining developments regulated by the EPA) to be taken out of the normal local council assessment process and instead be assessed by DAPs, including developments already refused such as the kunanyi/Mt Wellington cable car, high-rise buildings in Hobart and new developments such as large-scale subdivisions like Skylands development at Droughty Point.
The DAP bill proposed a new fast-tracked process to provide a permit for developments on both private and public land including World Heritage Areas, National Parks and Reserves. The government also intends to introduce new legislation that will provide fast tracked approvals under the National Parks and Reserves Management Act for developments in reserved land.
Under the proposed legislation, the Planning Minister could take a development assessment from councils mid-way through the development assessment process if the developer doesn’t like the way it is heading. The Planning Minister would also have new powers to instruct councils to commence planning scheme changes, but perversely, only when a local council has rejected such an application.
The Bill is available on the Tasmanian Parliamentary website here. The DAP Bill process and the information can be seen here.
PMAT and the Tasmanian Conservation Trust briefed the Legislative Council on why they should vote the DAP Bill down. The DAP Bill was voted down eight to six. A future DAP Bill remains a very real threat. We need your help to continue to advocate. Please donate:
➡️ https://planningmatterstas.org.au/donate/
Transparency, independence and public participation in decision-making are critical for a healthy democracy. DAPs are anti-democratic, anti-community and will result in the destruction the things ordinary Tasmanians care about. The biggest threat is the removal of planning appeal rights. If planning appeal rights are removed communities will lose their voice on the future of where they live and the places they care about.
