Tasmania’s local government sector has united in opposition to the State Government’s latest attempt to introduce Development Assessment Panels (DAPs).
They argue that the reform would undermine community representation and duplicate planning processes already under strain.
At the Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) General Meeting in Hobart, councils unanimously rejected the draft Land Use Planning and Approvals Amendment (Development Assessment Panels) Bill 2025.
The move signals escalating tensions between state and local government over planning reform, following the defeat of a similar bill in the Legislative Council last year.
LGAT President and Break O’Day Mayor Mick Tucker said the State had failed to justify the need for the panels.
“Our current system is the fastest in the country,” he said, noting that only 1 per cent of discretionary applications are appealed, and council decisions are no more likely to be contested than those made by officers.
The proposed legislation would allow certain large-scale or ‘significant’ developments – especially those involving affordable housing or valued above specific thresholds – to bypass local councils and be assessed by panels appointed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission. Councils argue this introduces ministerial discretion and removes third-party appeal rights, undermining transparency.
The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) has echoed these concerns, highlighting the Bill’s removal of community rights to appeal panel decisions to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TasCAT) as a major issue.
The EDO also criticised the “subjective and undefined” criteria that allow the Minister to refer projects to a panel, and the lack of process for panel establishment – raising concern over unchecked decision-making.
Instead, councils are calling for focus on overdue planning system updates, including regional land use strategies and subdivision legislation reform.
