FNQROC Planning Group - March 2013

Green Tape Reduction

The Environmental Protection (Greentape Reduction) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2012 was passed by parliament on 31 July 2012 with commencement on 31 March 2013.

Greentape reduction aims to:

  • Streamline, integrate and coordinate regulatory requirements under the Environment Protection Act 1994,
  • Reduce costs for industry and government while upholding environmental standards for the community.

This will be achieved by:

  • Integrated approval process for environmentally relevant activities which will allow for requirements to be proportional to the environmental risk of the activities,
  • Simpler and quicker process for amending operational approvals,
  • Corporate licences that allow an operator to have one environmental authority approval for multiple activities.

SPP – Single State Planning Policy

This consolidates all the state interests.  It incorporates the existing 14 State Planning Policies and other relevant State interests.  It includes economic, transport and infrastructure policies. 

Guidelines will support this policy and will be released early in 2013 for consultation.

SPOLA – Sustainable Planning and Other Legislation Act 2012

This act makes a number of amendments to the Sustainable Planning Act 2009.  This Act was assented to on 22 November 2012.  SPOLA amongst other things:

  1. provides for a single state assessment manager,
  2. removes declared master planning arrangements,
  3. reduces red tape for developments involving a state resource,
  4. provides discretion for a development application to be accepted without all supporting information.

All the provisions of SPOLA have commenced except for those related to the single state assessment and referral agency.

SARA – Single State Assessment and Referral Agency

This is:

  1. a single state agency lodgement point for applications (excluding building matters),
  2. one point of contact – the department will coordinate required referrals across government,
  3. as final decision maker, the department will ensure no conflicting or ‘unreasonable’ requirements imposed on applicants.

(Of note, this is something FNQROC has pushed for over the past few years)

The model is still being developed in consultation with other state agencies.  DSDIP will run further training with implementation expected to commence in June 2013.

Draft Coastal Protection State Planning Regulatory Provision (SPRP)

  1. in effect from 8 October 2012,
  2. does not affect the operation of State Policy for Coastal Management,
  3. of note, it removes the need for a Risk Mitigation Strategy – I have a personal concern with this one relating to the funding requirements of NDRRA (Natural Disaster Relief Recovery Arrangements) which requires the State to have a risk mitigation strategy which will also flow to us.

FNQ SPRP – Far North Queensland State Plan Regulatory Provision

(Repealed 26 October 2012)  Note, land use categories remain as defined in the regional plan mapping (Urban Footprint, Rural Living Area and Regional Landscape and Rural Production Area).

MALPI – Making and Amending Local Planning Instruments

Statutory Guidelines 02/12 commenced 16 November 2012 and replaced SG01/12 which was released in January 2012.  This guideline provides for:

  1. identifies roles and responsibilities,
  2. stronger lead agency role for DSDIP (Department of State Development Infrastructure and Planning),
  3. identification of State interests upfront,
  4. no 2nd State interest review,
  5. timeframes on local governments and lapsing provisions removed,
  6. minor amendments can be determined by Councils,
  7. no requirement to publically notify decision to prepare a new planning scheme.

IDAS - Integrated Development Assessment System

Forms amended 17 December 2012.  New forms will follow outcomes of the SARA project in early 2013.

More detailed information can be found on the following websites:

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