Local government association disappointed by the lack of consultation on Government’s proposed planning reforms
LGAT President and Break O’Day mayor Mick Tucker said “it is extremely disappointing that the Premier has made this announcement today with no prior consultation with our sector”.
The high-profile cases of councillors making controversial decisions on development applications represent a very small proportion of total developments.
The Government’s own Future of Local Government Review has noted that the proportion of council planning decisions that go to appeal is about one per cent state-wide and that the decisions made by elected representatives were no more likely to be appealed than those by council officers.
It is the historical lack of state-level planning policy that has resulted in councils bearing the full brunt of public criticism on development problems.