In a newsletterreleased last week, the Review Board states that ‘As we conclude Stage 2, we have now met with or received one or more submissions from over 4000 members of the public, stakeholders, peak bodies and organisations, and members of Tasmania’s local government sector’.

“The overwhelming majority of community and Councils have not called for removing Councils as a Planning Authority, forcing amalgamations or mandating the sharing of services,” said Sophie Underwood, state coordinator of PMAT. “No evidence to support these recommendations has been presented and it appears to have no basis in consultation.”

“Tasmanians should be under no illusion; these changes would represent a power-grab by the State Government and allow it to approve damaging and controversial developments that proper planning and decision making would reject or improve. The interventions by the Tasmanian Government on Skylands and Kangaroo Bay are examples of things to come if the Government gets their way.

“PMAT calls for all submissions to be made public.

“The key advocates for the radical reforms being mooted by the Review Board would appear to be vested interests wanting more development, irrespective of the cost, including disadvantaging communities and poor planning and development decisions.