Published in The Mercury 11 November 2024.

“The Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania and Tasmanian Conservation Trust are urging Tasmanians to lodge a submission on DAPs before they close at 5pm on Tuesday. 

Alliance state director Sophie Underwood said the DAP fast-track process would remove elected councillors and Tasmanians from having a proper say on the controversial developments affecting local communities as it removed planning appeal rights.

‘This is cataclysmic for ordinary Tasmanians,’ Ms Underwood said. ‘It is not at all hyperbole to say that these proposed changes to the way development applications will be approved and land rezoned is crossing a threshold for the breakdown of democracy.

DAPs will take voting rate-payers out of the picture. The people of Tasmania are having their rights stripped away and they do not even know.

Development applications will be approved by a non-independent authority which is not accountable to voters or ratepayers and will not be subject to the normal check and balances appeal rights.’