DAPs - HobartNotHighrise.com.au

I oppose the revised Development Assessment Panels (DAPs) Legislation. It has the same flaws rejected by Parliament in November 2024 and fails to provide safeguards for the rights of the Tasmanian Community. My concerns are:

* Skyscrapers could easily be approved in Hobart with virtually no community input.

* The proposed DAPs would allow property developers to bypass local councils and communities.

* They would not make decisions faster than Councils, and there is no concrete evidence to prove that the current system needs reform. In fact, the current system, in place for many years, works well.

* Community input, at the beginning of the process, is not allowed.

* Developments could only be appealed to the Supreme Court; a really expensive process.

* Merit-based planning appeal rights are not maintained. They should be: on all the issues the community cares about - height, bulk, scale, appearance, impacts on streetscapes and adjoining properties (including privacy and overlooking), biodiversity, traffic, noise, smell, and light.

* The Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) review of decisions is essential for a democratic system protected by ‘checks and balances’.

* Under the legislation, Panel appointments do not have to satisfy detailed selection criteria or objective processes.

* The proposed DAPs have the potential to increase corruption, reduce good planning outcomes, favour developers, and undermine democracy. The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption has recommended the expansion of merit-based planning appeals as a deterrent to corruption.

I request that this Legislation be rejected.