Why we quit the Environmental and Historic Heritage Consultative Group

Dear Ms Massina,

The Environment Association (TEA) Inc. is responding to your invitation, dated 30th March 2015, to participate in the “Environmental and Historic Heritage Consultative Group”, in relation to a proposed Tasmanian Planning Scheme.

We write further to our letter of the 10th April 2015 and various emails since. We also write further to our previous email of the 7th April 2015 to Mr Brian Risby, where we sought additional information and answers to a number of germane questions.

TEA reviewed the situation and our conditional acceptance of your offer to be a part of the “Environmental and Historic Heritage Consultative Group” at our Management Team meeting last week.

We consider there to be no “Group” in fact. We have seen no minutes of the Hobart meeting and teleconference, which we were unable to attend. As you know we expressed concerns regarding the characterisation and disclosure of the nature of that event.

TEA has several concerns about the process you outlined. I am not going to detail all of our concerns suffice to say they were discussed at our meeting and we formed a consensus opinion and decision about our future participation in the so called “Environmental and Historic Heritage Consultative Group”.

We noted for example that the group was very small and thus could reasonably be termed clandestine. We note you have not published the material you sent us on your website.

We received virtually none of the information about the Taskforce we had requested.

TEA has an interest in sound and valid processes, as much as being interested in having genuine input into Tasmania’s planning laws and regulation.

We have unfortunately formed the opinion that the consultation proposed by you is of a perfunctory nature and we find such a proposition impossible to support.

We also have substantial concerns over a raft of issues around the development of a Statewide Planning Scheme and would in any case have expected it to have a prerequisite of a suite of underpinning planning policies, which it clearly does not. By the way we mean genuine State Policies.

TEA has, as you may have gathered from this letter, made a decision to not participate in the so-called “Environmental and Historic Heritage Consultative Group” or the so-called consultation which you claim to be operating. We believe the material you sent to TEA should be in the public domain (download below).

TEA would review its decision if there were a substantial overhaul of the way in which you are proceeding. We consider that the current process has the strong potential to damage Tasmania’s planning system and its relatively sound reputation.

For consultation to be valid it has to be genuine.

Thank you nonetheless for the invitation.

Signed,

Andrew Ricketts

Download Draft Documents:

Appendix_A_Tasmanian_Planning_Scheme_-_Purpose_Objectives_Admin_Gen_Provisions_(Version_1_1).pdf

Appendix_B_Zone_Application_Framework.pdf

Background_Briefing_Number_1_for_the_Environment_and_Historic_Heritage_Consultative_Group.pdf

THE_TASMANIAN_PLANNING_SCHEME_summary_document_final.pdf

Appendix_A.2_Tasmanian_Planning_Scheme_-_Zones_(Version_1_.1)_.pdf

Appendix_C_Questions_to_Consultative_Groups_-_Environment_and_Historic_Heritage.pdf

Terms_of_Reference_for_the_Environment_and_Historic_Heritage_Consultative_Group_.pdf