The Tasmanian Government is attempting to alter the laws as they relate to Planning Matters for the entire state including the Furneaux Group.
The Parliament voted on a new Bill lin November 2024 last year to change Planning laws, but this was defeated. On 26 February 2025, the Planning Minister re-released the draft Development Assessment Panel (DAP) Bill.
FIPNI is not happy with the proposed changes! The association arranged a public information session on Thursday 10 April which was led by Sophie Underwood of Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania (PMAT). The meeting was addressed by Mayor Summers. Around 25 members of the community attended, which we thought was an excellent turnout. Flinders Council held a similar session with its contract Planner on Monday 14 April. Numbers in attendance were fewer, but Planning is a difficult topic and many people struggle to get an understanding; hence a reluctance to attend sessions on Planning.
We subsequently emailed all our members, urging them them to make a submission to the State Government and their MPs on the proposed changes, attaching a paper outlining the proposed changes (some at the time still unpublished), providing links on how to make submissions and listing all members of parliament (both upper and lower houses).
PMAT continues to advocate and campaign against these anti-democratic changes to undermine Councils and communities right of say across all urban/private land and reserved/public land including our National Parks and World Heritage Areas.
So while the deadline for submissions closed on 24 September, the fight is certainly not over!
As PMAT says “Transparency, independence and public participation in decision-making are critical for a healthy democracy”.
We urge our members to support PMAT’s efforts and take action: scroll down the page to see additional suggestions for adding your voice to the growing numbers of Tasmanians opposing this contentious and anti-democratic Bill!
Gerry Willis
President
Furneaux Islands Protection Network Inc