Planning reforms will collapse without resources

 Hodgman Government fails to resource planning changes
 Peter Gutwein again passing the buck to local government
 Treasurer putting unrealistic demands on councils

The Hodgman Government’s planning reforms will collapse because they’re not backed up with proper funding.

Shadow Minister for Public Planning Madeleine Ogilvie said Peter Gutwein’s plan is doomed to fail.

“It’s a half-baked cake,” Ms Ogilvie said.

“There’s no funding to back up what they’re promising, meaning once again the Treasurer has passed the buck to local government.

“Peter Gutwein is – for reasons only known to himself – at war with Tasmania’s councils.

“He has passed the buck on critical water and sewage infrastructure, wiping his hands of the requirement for government to work with councils to provide core infrastructure that all communities require.

“Now he is asking local government to implement his doomed-to-failure planning scheme, without providing them with the resources they require to do the job.

“Peter Gutwein is demanding that councils assess every single block and every piece of land in every single municipality to determine how they fit within the scheme.

“If this job is not done properly it will create chaos and confusion and could cause property values to plummet.

“Proper reform needs to be properly resourced to be a success.

“And the Government’s six to nine month timeframe for councils to comply with the new rules is unrealistic.

“It’s yet another example of why the Liberals are desperate for an early election. They want to go to the polls before their failures come home to roost.

“Labor wants an efficient planning scheme but we would work more closely with councils to ensure changes were backed up with resources.”
Madeleine Ogilvie MP Shadow Minister for Local Government