Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Planning spokesperson
Twenty community and environment groups are organising a public meeting on Tuesday in Hobart Town Hall, because of their significant concerns about changes to planning in the State.
These groups have a wide cross-section of interests, and have united to protect the values that make Tasmania what we know and love.
Minister for Planning, Peter Gutwein, has been invited to address the meeting, along with Labor and the Greens. Unfortunately, Minister Gutwien, the architect of this attack on unique Tasmanian values, has declined the invitation.
The Planning Minister should reconsider his decision not to front the public meeting and defend his Statewide Planning Scheme. By not attending, he's ignoring the Tasmanian community and their concerns.
There is growing alarm in the community about changes to planning provisions. People are beginning to understand they'll no longer have any real say in what their towns look like, and that protection of built heritage and threatened wildlife are being weakened.
The Liberals' Statewide Planning Scheme threatens biodiversity, heritage, and the way people want to live. Once again, they're putting the interests of developers first, and the protection of what makes Tasmania unique, last.
This Planning Scheme isn't better for anyone but developers and big business, and their short-term interests. Peter Gutwein should have the strength of character and conviction to attend the public meeting, listen to community concerns and act