Key players within the Tasmanian planning system

Minister for Local Government and Planning

The Minister for Planning provides overarching direction, and articulates the Government’s vision for the planning system.

The Minister for Planning also has a range of powers and responsibilities including:

• approving the State Planning Provisions
• approving Tasmanian Planning Policies and Regional Land Use Strategies
• making Housing Land Supply Orders

State Planning Office (Department of Premier and Cabinet)

The State Planning Office:

• develops, maintains and reviews the state-wide elements of Tasmania’s planning system
• develops and reviews legislation relating to the Government’s planning reform program and the planning system generally
• provides strategic planning advice in relation to Tasmania’s planning system to the Minister, State agencies and other stakeholders

Tasmanian Planning Commission

The Tasmanian Planning Commission is an independent body that performs a range of statutory and advisory roles. The Commission:

• considers amendments to the State Planning Provisions
• assesses draft Local Provisions Schedules
• assesses draft planning scheme amendments, and combined permits and amendments
• reviews reports on representations to draft management plans
• assesses projects of regional and State significance
• reports on draft State Policies and Tasmanian Planning Policies
• assesses draft planning directives
• inquires into the future use of public land
• makes changes to planning schemes to give effect Housing Land Supply Orders

TASCAT - Resource and Planning Stream

The Tasmanian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) - Resource and Planning Stream hears and determines appeals and applications arising from a wide range of administrative acts and decisions. The Tribunal, within the limits set out in LUPAA, can also make orders enforcing observance of the planning scheme.  It also has powers under other Acts to issue enforcement orders related to breaches of environmental legislation; strata title regulations and a range of other legislative requirements.

Councils (Planning Authorities)

Local government in Tasmania consists of 29 councils, each responsible for their own municipal area.

Councils provide a range of services to their local communities including the regulation of planning and building. Within the land use planning system councils act as planning authorities and have prescribed functions, including:

• making most of the statutory planning decisions that affect their municipal area in accordance with what the planning scheme allows
• preparing local strategic plans to inform their Local Planning Schedules and give effect to the regional strategies
• spatially applying the State’s planning rules in their Local Provisions Schedules
• assessing applications and issuing permits
• enforcing planning requirements

To determine the municipal area and planning controls for a particular location, please refer to the Tasmanian Planning Commission website.  This online resource provides:

• digital planning schemes
• interactive planning scheme maps
• details on upcoming hearings and assessments undertaken by the Tasmanian Planning Commission

State Agencies

State agencies:

• operate within the planning system as proponents of developments such as roads, bridges and schools
• inform the policy and strategic parts of the system through their Ministers and the State Planning Inter-departmental Committee
• act as the regulators for some areas of development assessment such as threatened species