Legislative Council, Wednesday 7 August 2024

Ms FORREST question to MINISTER for PARKS and ENVIRONMENT, Mr DUIGAN

I understand you are considering or currently working on further review of the State Coastal Policy. My questions with regard to that are: what areas of the policy are being reviewed? What is the timeline for the review?

ANSWER

Mr President, I thank the member for Murchison for her question. The Tasmanian government supports balanced and sensible approach to developments that benefit Tasmanians while also protecting our coastlines and their obvious environmental values. Legal review has brought into question the way the planning authorities have applied the State Coastal Policy to developments and that is why the government has acted. The current circumstance -

Ms Forrest - The question is not about the bill; it is about further review.

Mr DUIGAN - The current circumstance would have innocuous actions such as, potentially, maintenance on a coastal golf course being, as we speak today, an unlawful action. It is important the government seeks to clarify the current situation and why we have introduced a validation bill. It will seek to make legal all those things that have a current loop permit since 2003. That is the object of that bill. In further examining the changes that may be required to coastal policy, that piece of work will be out for public consultation in due course.

Ms Forrest - The timeline?

Mr DUIGAN - In due course; in the coming days.