CHAIR – Mr Winter, I’d like to ask a question.
Mr WINTER – You are the boss, Chair, so you get to do whatever you like.
CHAIR – I’d like to have a fair chance to ask my questions as well. Minister, this is repeating the questions around DAPs, but I want to lay out what’s occurred. We see the reintroduction of the development assessment panels, and they were first introduced in 2024, and they were strongly opposed by community, receiving 92 per cent submissions against. When it was reintroduced in April 2025 by minister Ellis, few changes were made, and it was voted down by the Legislative Council. Now in November 2025, we’ve seen the reintroduction of the DAPs yet again despite ongoing opposition. I’m curious to know: you sound like you want the DAPs to do things that perhaps they won’t. If the development assessment panels process is reintroduced and it fails, will you abandon reintroducing it yet again?
Mr VINCENT – Great grandchild. That is a hypothetical. We have a lot of work to do on the present situation, and I take advice as we work through that situation. Totally hypothetical so I couldn’t go there.
CHAIR – Perhaps if the mechanism of the DAPs is something that you want it to be but it may not deliver all of those outcomes such as streamlining, planning, making it easier for developments to go through. What other mechanisms would you look at improving that access to building homes for Tasmanians?
Mr VINCENT – There’s been quite a few things we’d need to look at there. You say about the opposition, but there is also a lot of people within council and within council laws being slightly different and the development world that thinks that a sensible version adapts it makes the planning scheme stronger. I spoke about that in the last vote, probably a little bit different to how it was perceived at the time, but talking from my experience as a mayor and I still wear a little bit of that hat as we all do and can’t get rid of.
I think we still have to get that balance in the planning scheme to allow for sensible developments to happen in the complications of the developments going forward. I think even to pursue higher density projects, we will be taking people outside their comfort zones as well when we have those areas, so we will continue to work through those things.
I’m open to all conversations. I’ve never closed-minded to this. It’s out there for consultation, we’ve had an initial discussion with Local Government Association, and we will continue to do so.
CHAIR – Do you feel that it disregards the opinions of people who know their local areas?
Mr VINCENT – I’m one of those people that know my area very well and they’ve lived and breathed it for the last 15 years. Like I said, there’s conflicting views and I’m happy to take all views on board, as I always am.
