PMAT Submission: Scrap the Validation (State Coastal Policy) Bill 2024  

The Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania (PMAT) thanks the Department of Premier and Cabinet for  the opportunity to comment on the Validation (State Coastal Policy) Bill 2024. 

The Tasmanian Government has released draft legislation to fast-track changes to the Tasmanian  State Coastal Policy 1996 through the Tasmanian Parliament. 

The Validation (State Coastal Policy) Bill 2024 has been released for a very limited public  consultation period between 16 July – 1 August 2024. See the draft Bill here and Department of  Premier and Cabinet’s information here. 

Changes of this magnitude, with such far reaching consequences, must go through the standard  existing robust legislated eight-week public consultation process (with opportunity for public  hearings) conducted by the Tasmanian Planning Commission.  

The proposed changes will profoundly weaken the State Coastal Policy and the way  Lutruwita/Tasmania’s coasts are managed and protected in Tasmania. 

Tasmania’s coast is unique and largely unspoilt, thanks to the State Coastal Policy, which has  protected it for almost 30 years. 

PMAT’s submission 

PMAT’s submission covers: 

1. What is PMAT; and 
2. PMAT’s key concerns and issues.  

Tasmanian Government Public Submissions Policy 

In its Public Submissions Policy the Tasmanian Government’s states that it is committed to ‘providing  opportunities for community involvement in the development of Government policy’ and ‘Notices calling for submissions are to specify, where possible, when submissions will be published. As a  matter of policy, submissions should be published on department websites within a reasonable  timeframe as determined by the department.’ 

Given this commitment and the high-level public interest in the Validation (State Coastal Policy) Bill  2024, it is requested that all submissions be made public as soon as possible.