The Queensland Government has announced plans to streamline and improve the efficiency of the state’s planning and development system.

 

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Jeff Seeney, said that changes to the planning framework will see the system made more effective and responsive across the state.

 

“Fixing the planning system was one of this government’s key promises to the people of Queensland when we were elected,” Mr Seeney said. 



“The old system was tired, bureaucratic and mired in red tape – it was unnecessarily holding up construction and development across the state. 

 

“A key component of the reform involves streamlining the government processes by allowing developers to deal with one single office rather than multiple departments when seeking State Government assessment of development applications – reducing the complexity and increasing the certainty of development outcomes. 

 

These changes will be implemented by way of legislative amendments to the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 introduced into Parliament last week.

 

Mr Seeney said the reforms were a crucial step in giving local government bodies greater autonomy throughout the state.

 

“The reforms will also empower local governments – the new costs regime in the court will discourage appeals which have little merit – and local governments will now be able to recover their costs of investigating development offences and taking action in respect of them in the Planning Court. 

 

“Councils will have the discretion to accept development applications which do not include all required supporting information at time of lodgement, reducing red tape and streamlining the application process.”