On 12 June 2013, the Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney announced the Newman Government's intention to overhaul what it considers an overly complex and cumbersome planning system to facilitate development in Queensland.
The Government has announced that it intends to propose changes aimed at further streamlining planning and development assessment in Queensland, and in some instances removing unnecessary regulation that can ultimately stifle development.
Described as a "once-in-a-generation" planning reform, the stated purpose of the amendments to Queensland's planning legislation is to reduce the regulatory burden on developers and local governments under the current system.
Given that the proposed new legislation is yet to be drafted and introduced to Parliament, it is not clear whether the reforms will amount to changes to the current planning system under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA), or the introduction of a new regime under new legislation.
The Government has indicated that its intention is for the proposed planning reforms to be introduced into Parliament in early 2014, and to be operational by the end of 2014.
We will provide further updates regarding the proposed changes as they are released by the Queensland Government.
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