Media Release

“The Government has brought back this highly contentious Bill, despite 92% of the almost 500 submissions received on the first version of the anti-democratic Bill in 2024 were opposed. The DAPs Bill was so flawed, every council in Tasmania voted against it and it was voted down in the Legislative Council on the last sitting day of Parliament last year,” said Sophie Underwood, State Director of the Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania (PMAT).

The major changes to planning appeal rights announced on 7 February 2025 by Minister for Planning, Felix Ellis, will impact every single Tasmanian by taking away community rights and preferencing property developers over the community.

Proposed Development Assessment Panel legislation opposed by community, Local Governments and Tasmanian Planning Commission – parliament needs to vote down the DAP legislation 

The Tasmanian Government is planning on pushing through legislation to empower the Planning Minister to remove assessment and approval of developments from the normal local council process and have it done by Development Assessment Panels (DAPs). 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.