The Rockliff Government is looking forward to engaging with councils as we develop planning reforms to help to build more houses and provide certainty for investment.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said Councils will have their say in the coming months as we develop draft legislation to take the politics out of planning, which we will finalise later this year and take to parliament in early 2024.
“Input from councils will be very important to make sure that the legislation is fit for purpose, and we look forward to engaging with them throughout this process,” the Premier said.
“This legislation will give councils the option to be advocates for their community, rather than decision-makers, giving councillors a greater opportunity to represent the views of their community.
“The idea of independent Development Assessment Panels has been around for a long time, and they are regularly used as an integral part of planning systems around the country.
“More recently this was put forward as an option for reform in the Future of Local Government Review Stage 2 Interim Report.”
Notably, the Property Council has supported this reform since 2016.
“We have listened to our stakeholders and our community, and in the spirit of transparency we have announced our intention to develop and deliver this new legislated fix for housing,” the Premier said.
“Our legislation will not change Tasmania’s planning rules.
“It will simply create a second decision-making option, without the politics, which both councils and developers can select.
“Councils will still do the assessments, just as they do today.
“The community will still have their say, just as they do today.
“The legislation will allow for some planning decisions to be made by independent expert Development Assessment Panels, which will be established by the independent Tasmanians Planning Commission.
“We need more homes, and don’t want to see decisions delayed for the wrong reasons.”
