Elise Archer MP

Tasmania could miss out on a $100 million Buddhist temple development simply because of an outdated and complicated planning system.

We need to be encouraging development such as this, not continuing to throw up as many hurdles as possible.

There is no doubt that this development would deliver many social, cultural and economic benefits to the State that simply cannot be ignored.

But it is easy to see why development is stalling when the state’s planning system is in such a mess.

That is why, in government, the Liberals’ would implement a single state-wide planning scheme that would get rid of the current 36 planning schemes and also disallow frivolous third-party appeals, as part of our vision to make Tasmania a self-reliant state.

This would remove the complexity and uncertainty within the planning process, as well as make Tasmania a more attractive place to do business.

But instead of adopting our sensible plan, we are seeing Labor and the Greens sending investment elsewhere.

Tasmania needs positive developments like this to proceed so that we can hang out the ‘open for business’ sign – but under the Green-Labor Government, projects will continue to be delayed and investors will continue to be frightened off by needlessly complicated and outdated planning laws.

Elise Archer MP
Shadow Minister for Planning
Shadow Minister for Community Development
Monday, 30 January 2012