Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Planning spokesperson
The Statewide Planning Scheme is the greatest change ever to planning in the state's history and Tasmanians have only been given six weeks to comment on it.
This is an appalling approach to public consultation and the scheme will suffer for it.
There are already widespread concerns that a statewide scheme will make it harder for communities to protect the character of their towns and landscapes.
The proposal for ministerial power to override planning authorities does nothing to allay such fears, if anything, it enhances them.
The bill introduced today provides the framework that will allow a statewide planning scheme to be introduced.
This puts the parliament in an extremely difficult position - being asked to approve a scheme without seeing any of the detail.
The Greens will consider each clause of the bill to ensure that public concerns have been listened to.